Department for Transport

Bus Services: Disability

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's consultation, Bus Services Act 2017: accessible information, which closed on 16 September 2019, when his Department plans to publish (a) a summary of consultation responses, (b) draft guidance for bus operators, (c) his Department’s response to that consultation and (d) draft regulations introducing the accessible information requirement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government understands the importance of accessible on-board information in helping bus passengers to travel with confidence, and in Summer 2018 published a public consultation on proposals to require its provision on local bus services throughout Great Britain. We continue to analyse responses to the consultation and expect to report on its findings, and to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.

Bus Services: Disability

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received from bus operators on the Accessible Information Requirement for buses.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In Summer 2018 the Government consulted on proposals to require the provision of audible and visible information onboard local bus services in Great Britain. Over three hundred responses were received from a diverse range of stakeholders, including representatives of large and small bus and coach operators. We continue to analyse responses to the consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to (a) encourage and (b) support UK companies to bid to be the West Coast Mainline provider.

Andrew Jones: Bids have already been submitted for the West Coast Partnership competition but the Department continues to encourage UK entrants into the rail franchising market. All rail franchise bidders are UK tax registered firms and far from taking money out of the system, foreign operating companies are paying tax in the UK and investing millions in improving services and buying new trains for British passengers.

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits of the use of the exceptional hardship exception for the sentencing of drivers who would otherwise be disqualified from driving.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is responsible for maintaining a record of all GB fixed penalties and court ordered driving licence endorsements. Sentencing, including the imposition and length of a driving disqualification, is a matter for the courts.

Public Transport

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase passenger journeys on public transport in the regions to reduce CO2 emissions.

Jesse Norman: Since 2010 the Government has invested nearly three quarters of a billion pounds to improve bus services through investment in bus-based infrastructure schemes and in greener buses, which is in addition to the continuing financial support provided through the Bus Service Operators Grant.The Government has also introduced the Bus Services Act 2017 that provides local authorities with the tools to improve local services and increase passenger numbers.The Government is also investing record levels in the U.K. rail network, as part of the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century, to accommodate greater passenger traffic while reducing its impact on the environment.

Heathrow Airport: Biometrics

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when facial recognition technology for security checks for all passengers travelling through Heathrow Airport will be fully rolled out.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not require London Heathrow Airport to use facial recognition technology for security checks. London Heathrow Airport has taken a commercial decision to use biometrics in the hope that this will assist to streamline the passenger journey through the airport. All security checks will remain unchanged. The Department regularly discusses and reviews airport security with all regulated UK airports.

Airports: Biometrics

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what date facial recognition technology for security checks will be rolled out to airports that serve less than five million passengers per year.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not require airports to use facial recognition technology for security checks.Some airports are planning to introduce biometric technology which they hope will assist the passenger journey through their airports. This use of biometrics will not change the required security checks. The Department regularly discusses and reviews airport security with all regulated UK airports.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the new Abellio train franchise for the East Midlands will deliver improvements in (a) seat capacity, (b) fares and (c) connectivity north from Kettering.

Andrew Jones: The bid from Abellio included an increase in the frequency of services throughout the new Abellio East Midlands franchise, including an additional train per hour from Corby to London. There will be more trains operating throughout the week and services will start earlier in the morning and end later in the evening. The new franchise will deliver over 18,000 standard class seats in the peak for passengers at St Pancras, over 5,000 peak standard class seats at Lincoln – more than doubling capacity – and over 3,200 more peak standard class seats into and out of Nottingham. There will be modern smart ticketing options for leisure and business journeys and for season tickets for commuters. Flexible ticket options will provide better value fares for regular passengers who travel less than five days a week and there will be enhanced Delay Repay compensation for passengers whose journeys are delayed by more than 15 minutes, compared to 30 minutes today. From December 2020, there will be more trains calling at Kettering going north compared to today and those train will have more seats

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Rebecca Pow: What steps he is taking to improve charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s vision is to have one of the best infrastructure networks in the world for electric vehicles, and we want chargepoints to be accessible, affordable and secure. The Government’s grant schemes fund chargepoints at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. The £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will add thousands more public chargepoints to the 17,000 already installed. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act gives Government new powers to regulate the chargepoint market and improve the experience for consumers.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Insolvency

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made in progressing its proposed reforms to the corporate insolvency framework; and when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on implementing those reforms.

Kelly Tolhurst: In August 2018 the Government published its response to the 2016 ‘Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework’ consultation and 2018 ‘Insolvency and Corporate Governance’ consultation. The Government outlined in its response its intention to proceed with a comprehensive package of reforms aimed at improving the prospects of company rescue for financially distressed companies, while improving corporate governance to ensure those affected by a company’s financial difficulties are treated fairly.

Renewable Energy: Expenditure

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his oral contribution of 23 April 2019, Official Report column 626,, what the level of cross-subsidisation has been from the oil and gas industry to the renewables industry in each year since 2010.

Kelly Tolhurst: Since 2010, the cumulative installed capacity of renewable electricity generation in the UK has increased by 340%, with support costs for deployment being met by the electricity consumer. During this period, tax receipts from the oil and gas industry in the UK amounted to £32.96 billion. Total allocation of general taxation for energy innovation spend has been £3.33bn, of which £3.27bn has been for renewables and low-carbon technologies.

Post Offices: Finance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will take steps to help retain Post Office branches where the Network Transformation Programme funding is insufficient to sustain the branch in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland, and (d) each region of England.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has invested more than £2 billion since 2010 to support the Post Office and as part of that investment the Post Office is required to ensure that the network of branches remains above 11,500 overall and that accessibility targets are met. These parameters ensures that post office services remain accessible to all, with almost 93% of people within a mile and 99.7% within 3 miles of their nearest branch.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he last met international counterparts to discuss climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK continues to demonstrate the strong leadership needed to tackle climate change, both at home and abroad. As an issue of significant public and international importance my rt. hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth regularly meet with their international counterparts to discuss a range of issues including climate change.

Fracking: Lancashire

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the scope is of the Oil and Gas Authority’s scientific analysis of the data gathered during the shale gas operations and Preston New Road; what data will be included in the Authority's analysis; and whether the conclusions of that analysis will be accompanied by recommendations for future regulation of the UK shale gas industry.

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timeframe is for the Oil and Gas Authority’s analysis of data from shale gas operations at Preston New Road; and if he will publish the conclusions of that analysis when it is concluded.

Kelly Tolhurst: As part of their normal responsibilities as one of the independent regulators of the shale gas industry, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is carrying out a scientific analysis of the data gathered during the operations at Preston New Road. It is not a review of the traffic light system. The OGA will work with recognised and independent geologists and scientists with expertise in hydraulic fracturing operations to assess the data and will provide updates on the progress of this analysis on their website as appropriate.

Offshore Industry: Monitoring

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times the Oil and Gas Authority has carried out scientific analysis of data from UK oil and gas operations in each of the last five years; and from which sites that data was taken.

Kelly Tolhurst: While not primarily a scientific body, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) frequently undertakes some level of scientific analysis, drawing on external data as well as internal data, and external and internal expertise. Recent examples include: Geophysical seismic data release packages (2015 & 2016)21st Century Roadmap projects (ongoing)British Geological Survey shale reports (2014)East Midlands coal mining seismicity (2017)The separation of the Bowland-Hodder shale unit from coal mining activity in the East Midlands (2018)Offshore geochemical database (planned summer 2019)Reservoir engineering analyses of production data and well test data (ongoing)Laboratory analyses of oil and gas fluid properties (ongoing),

Post Offices: Costs

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2019 to Question 242045 on Post Offices: Costs, what the strategic parameters set by the Government are.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant the Answer of 16 April 2019 to Question 242042 on Post Office: ICT, what plans he has to change the strategic parameters set by the Government.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government requires the Post Office to maintain a national network of branches meeting minimum access criteria and delivering minimum services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches and with 99.7% of the population living within three miles of their nearest branch. There are no plans to change these strategic parameters, which received widespread public support in a 2017 consultation. ICT and the costs of running its business are operational matters for Post Office.

Post Office

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers in his Department met the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited in the last 12 months.

Kelly Tolhurst: As the Special Shareholder of Post Office Limited, the Secretary of State appoints a Non-Executive Representative to the Post Office board to provide shareholder oversight of the company. Ministers have also met the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited twice in the last 12 months.

Post Office: Honours

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether (a) Ministers or (b) senior officials in his Department made representations to the Honours Committee on the appointment of a CBE to the role of chief executive of the Post Office in 2019.

Kelly Tolhurst: Recommendations are made by independent specialist honours committees, who consider nominations put forward by members of the public and by Government departments. Each committee is chaired by and comprises a majority of independent members, all of whom were selected after open competition.’ The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy fed Paula Vennells’s nomination in to the cross-Government process for honours, along with other citations for the round.

Post Office

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the current reporting mechanism is between the Government and the Post Office.

Kelly Tolhurst: As per the Postal Services Act 2011, Post Office Limited must provide a yearly network report to the Shareholder to be laid before Parliament. Post Office Limited also provides a regular update to Government on the performance of its branch network. Post Office report to Government on their financial performance via an Annual Strategic Plan, a quarterly report on investment spending and monthly reports on financial information. In addition, officials regularly meet with Post Office to discuss a wide variety of matters.

Wind Power

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has developed a strategy for the implementation of new on-shore wind farms.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has not developed a strategy for the implementation of new onshore wind farms. We do not believe that more large-scale onshore wind power is right for England, but projects can be developed where there is public support and the projects are located in an area identified as suitable for wind energy development in a Localor Neighbourhood Plan. The Government has committed up to £557 million for future Contracts for Difference, which is our main mechanism for supporting new renewables. The scheme is open to less established technologies, such as offshore and remote island wind. The Government has also committed £2.5bn for investment in low carbon innovation up to 2021.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April to Question 242927, how the Government is ensuring the exclusion of regulatory provisions from the Business Impact Target as relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups; which regulatory objects and subjects have been excluded in this way; and which units are responsible for ensuring this exclusion.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 01 May 2019



As set out in the Written Statement of 20 June 2018, departments and regulators are legally responsible for certifying if their regulatory provisions are covered by the Business Impact Target exemption relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups. Any measures which have been certified by the individual departments or regulators under the Grenfell exclusion are listed in the Better Regulation annual report. The 2018/19 annual report will be published this summer.

Post Offices: Location

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Post Office branches have received investment in addition to that awarded through the Network Transformation Programme to relocate; and what the cost of these investments is in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland, and (d) each region of England.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Investments and costs of Post Office branches across the UK or by each region of England are operational matters for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Alisdair Cameron, the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Companies: Ownership

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many exemptions have been made under the people with significant control register; and for what reasons those exemptions have been made.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Rakhine State Advisory Commission

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the Burmese Government to adopt the recommendations made by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had on the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State with (a) UN officials, (b) NGOs and (c) counterparts from ASEAN nations.

Mark Field: The UK continues to press the Burmese authorities to implement the Annan Commission recommendations, and has discussed the issue with international partners in various fora. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese National Security Adviser during his visit to London in March. We recognise that the Burmese Government has begun to respond to some of the recommendations but there is still much to be done. Through coordinated efforts at the United Nations, the UK has ensured a focus on Burma at the Security Council and Human Rights Council, including on the question of conditions in Rakhine. In January 2019 the Foreign Secretary discussed Burma with Foreign Minister Balakrishnan of Singapore; he has also met representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations working in Burma.

Burma: Rohingya

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received a copy of the repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh for Rohingyan refugees.

Mark Field: The repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh was signed on 23 November 2018. It has not been published, but the contents were widely reported in the media. We have previously raised our concerns in the House about the reported contents.

Burma: Rohingya

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Rohingyan refugees are not repatriated to Burma against their will.

Mark Field: ​The UK has been clear, as has the UN Security Council, that Burma must create the conditions in Rakhine to allow the Rohingya to return safely, voluntarily and with dignity. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that these conditions do not yet exist. UN agencies also do not have the access they need to provide independent monitoring of any returns. The UK was deeply concerned when Bangladesh and Burma announced that the repatriation of refugees to Burma would begin in November 2018. We raised our concerns at the highest levels with both Governments, stressing that returns should not commence while conditions in northern Rakhine remain as they are. We welcome Bangladesh's commitment to the principle of "voluntariness" and were pleased that repatriations did not commence in November 2018. We will continue to make representations to the Governments of both Bangladesh and Burma not to commence returns until suitable conditions exist in northern Rakhine.

South Asia: Religious Freedom

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the recent bombings in Sri Lanka, what steps the Government is taking to promote religious tolerance in (a) Sri Lanka and (b) throughout South Asia.

Mark Field: The UK is committed to supporting government and civil society efforts to improve human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, in Sri Lanka. We fund a range of projects in support of this through £8.3 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding. We support projects that promote interfaith dialogue and that increase awareness; encourage greater public debate and advocacy on issues concerning Fredom of Religon or Belief in Sri Lanka; and that counter the youth radicalisation in areas prone to inter-religious violence. The Prime Minister is committed to 'stand up for the freedom of people of all religions to practice their beliefs in peace and safety'. On 30 January the Foreign Secretary commissioned an external review examining the persecution of Christians in key countries around the world, including South Asia. It will provide an objective assessment of the impact and levels of FCO support, and make recommendations to the Foreign Secretary. The interim Report will be published early May, with the final Report in the summer.

Diplomatic Service: Public Appointments

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the Government has in the appointment of ambassadors to the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The appointment of Heads of Mission, both Ambassadors and High Commissioners, to the Court of St. James's is governed in international law by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) 1961. Article 4(1) of the VCDR requires that the sending State must ensure that agrément for the person it proposes to accredit as Head of Mission has been granted by the receiving State, before that person may be permitted by the receiving State to undertake the role. Under the VCDR a receiving State is not obliged to give reasons to the sending State for refusal of agrément.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office reviews all requests for agrément from sending States. On the recommendation of the Secretary of State, Her Majesty The Queen gives formal approval of appointments and grants their credentials in a formal ceremony.

Israel: Hezbollah

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on reports that the Israel Defense Forces recently exposed a Hezbollah cell preparing an attack on Israel.

Mark Field: Whilst the Foreign Secretary has not had discussions with the Israel Defense Forces about this issue, the British Government routinely discusses concerns about the actions of Hizballah with the Israeli authorities.

Israel: Palestinians

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

Mark Field: We firmly believe a just and lasting resolution that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community. We have encouraged the US Administration to bring forward detailed proposals for a viable peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties. We continue to believe the best way to achieve this is through substantive peace talks between the parties leading to a two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the recent escalation of military activity in Al Dhale'e, Yemen, on the implementation of the UN-led peace process.

Mark Field: We are aware of the recent escalation of military activity in al-Dhale’e. All parties must engage constructively and in good faith to overcome obstacles and find a political solution to end the conflict. We urge all parties to support and facilitate the UN’s efforts.The Foreign Secretary hosted a meeting of the Yemen Quad on 26 April in London. Quad members underlined their commitment to a comprehensive political solution for the conflict in Yemen and their endorsement of the agreements reached in Stockholm by the Yemeni parties in December 2018.

Abdullah Öcalan

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking in relation to the Turkish Government which is violating international human rights standards and breaching the regulations of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture by the continued imprisonment and torture of Kurdish political prisoner Abdullah Öcalan.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We consistently engage with the Turkish Government over human rights concerns, including on the treatment of prisoners. As my colleague Mark Field, Minister for Asia and the Pacific, made clear in the debate on the Kurds in the House on 10 April, “we expect Turkey to respect its international obligations with regard to prison conditions.” This includes acting on the recommendations of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the Council of Europe concerning isolation and access relating to Imrali prison where PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is held. The PKK is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the EU whose violence we strongly condemn.

Armenia: LGBT People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Armenian counterpart on the rights of LGBT people in Armenia.

Sir Alan Duncan: Her Majesty's Government continues to pay close attention to the issue of LGBT rights. I raised the importance of diversity and inclusion in a speech to the National Assembly of Armenia in September 2017, referring to the record number of LBGT and female MPs in the House of Commons.The British Embassy Yerevan has been active in supporting the LGBT community in Armenia. The British Ambassador and her team are in close contact with Armenian LGBT community representatives, have regularly hosted events for LGBT civil society organisations and spoken at conferences on LGBT issues to reiterate UK support for the universality of human rights. The British Embassy in Yerevan, along with other Embassies, has expressed grave concern over the upward trend in cases in Armenia where hate speech, including death threats, have been made against minorities and human rights defenders, particularly those promoting LGBT rights.The UK, alongside partners, has called for hate speech to be condemned and for law enforcement agencies to take urgent steps to guarantee the physical safety of Armenian citizens and to investigate allegations against those suspected of perpetrating hate crimes.

Somaliland: Politics and Government

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 25 April 2019 to Questions 245922 and 245923, how he measures the success of the UK's support for democracy and human rights in Somaliland.

Harriett Baldwin: ​UK assistance is making a significant contribution to supporting Somaliland’s ongoing democratisation process, including through: improving the accountability of the judiciary and public security structures; strengthening the technical capability of the National Electoral Commission; and building understanding between government and journalists through support to a new media law. Nevertheless, there remain significant challenges on which we are engaging with the Government of Somaliland, for example, on the continued political marginalisation of women and minority clans, and the ongoing arbitrary detention of journalists. We also remain concerned by the lack of progress in the preparations for 2019 parliamentary and local elections, including the passage of electoral legislation in Parliament, and have called on all three political parties to demonstrate their commitment to democratisation and make the necessary compromises to move the process forwards substantively and ensure elections take place on time ‪on 12 December 2019.

Gaza: Israel

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Israel in response to the UN independent Commission of Inquiry’s findings that there were reasonable grounds to conclude that 35 children attending protests in Gaza between 30 March and 31 December 2018 were killed unlawfully by Israeli security forces.

Mark Field: ​The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israel Defense Forces police protests and the Gaza perimeter, including the use of live ammunition. It is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties. In particular we have stressed the importance of protecting civilians, especially children and medical personnel. The Minister of State raised Gaza with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 30 April, and the UK raised it at the UN Security Council on 29 April. On 18 March, the EU gave an intervention on the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry, in which we expressed our concern about the high number of Palestinians killed and injured and the use of excessive force including live fire, and condemned violence and provocations against Israel by Hamas and other militant groups.

Gaza: Demonstrations

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure there is an (a) independent, (b) transparent and (c) thorough investigation into each child fatality that occurred during protests in Gaza between 30 March and 31 December 2018.

Mark Field: ​The UK fully supports the need for an independent and transparent investigation which establishes the facts about the recent violence in Gaza. We have repeatedly called for such an investigation at the highest levels, as well as in multiple forums, including in Parliament in an Urgent Question on 22 March, and at the UN Security Council. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised Gaza with the Israeli authorities in March, highlighting the importance of proportionality, and raising concerns about the volume of live fire against unarmed women, children and medics. We will continue to make clear to the Israeli authorities that it is vital their investigations are independent and transparent and that their findings are made public, and importantly, if wrongdoing is found, those that are responsible are held to account.

Israel: Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the reported firing of tear gas into an elementary school in the Israeli-controlled area of Hebron city by Israeli forces on 21 February 2019.

Mark Field: ​While we have not raised this specific issue with the Government of Israel, we regularly raise concerns about Israel's use of force in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. While we recognise Israel's legitimate need to deploy security measures, we encourage them to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and to use appropriate force. We have stressed in particular the need to protect children. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated for swift, transparent investigations.

Israel: West Bank

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart on the reported destruction of three water connections supplying water to the West bank in February 2019.

Mark Field: ​While we have not made any representations on this specific matter, the UK has raised concerns over access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza. We have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions of Palestinian properties in Area C of the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. We call on them to cease the policy of demolitions and provide a clear, transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C.

Press Freedom: Northern Ireland

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2019 Media Freedom Campaign, what steps he is taking to address Amnesty International concerns about press freedom in Northern Ireland.

Mark Field: ​We are committed to building a global environment in which a free and vibrant media can flourish. As part of our leadership on this international agenda, the UK will continue to maintain the highest standards of press freedom, while retaining the right to take lawful and proportionate action to prevent and investigate crime, in accordance with human rights treaties and the Human Rights Act 1998. We are consulting Amnesty International and other civil society organisations on the design of the media freedom campaign.

Cabinet Office

Aortic Aneurysm: Death

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many men have died as a result of an Abdominal aortic aneurysm in the last five years.

Kevin Foster: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 137.1 KB)

European Parliament: Elections

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase voter (a) registration and (b) turnout at European Union Elections in 2019 in the event that the UK has not left the EU.

Kevin Foster: The Electoral Commission has a statutory responsibility to promote awareness of elections, including public awareness campaigns on voter registration. Electoral Registration Officers have a statutory duty to ensure that people who are eligible to vote in relevant elections have the opportunity to do so. For both this includes the European Parliamentary elections.The Cabinet Office report, Respecting, Protecting and Promoting our Democracy, sets out the recent steps that Government has taken to modernise voter registration. For example, the introduction of online applications; changes to the anonymous registration process; and co- production of Mencap Easy-Read guides have made the system more accessible and built on record levels of voter registration. On voter turnout, this remains a matter for political parties.

European Parliament: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has received from (a) electoral registration officers, (b) the Local Government Association and (c) local authority leaders on concerns about the EC6/UC1 process for the forthcoming European Parliament elections.

Kevin Foster: Regional Returning Officers, the Electoral Commission and other organisations such as the Association of Electoral Administrators and SOLACE are working together to plan for potential polls on 23 May and dealing with any issues that arise. We are we are working with them to support the effective delivery of the polls.The European Parliamentary Elections (Franchise of Relevant Citizens of the Union) Regulations 2001 would have to be amended to alter the deadline for applications and declarations from relevant EU citizens. These Regulations are made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, and so amending this would require further Regulations under section 2(2) of that Act.The Electoral Commission is an independent organisation, any complaints or representations they receive are a matter for them.

European Parliament: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Electoral Commission have received complaints in relation to the EC1/UC6 form process for the 2019 European Parliament elections.

Kevin Foster: Regional Returning Officers, the Electoral Commission and other organisations such as the Association of Electoral Administrators and SOLACE are working together to plan for potential polls on 23 May and dealing with any issues that arise. We are we are working with them to support the effective delivery of the polls. The European Parliamentary Elections (Franchise of Relevant Citizens of the Union) Regulations 2001 would have to be amended to alter the deadline for applications and declarations from relevant EU citizens. These Regulations are made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, and so amending this would require further Regulations under section 2(2) of that Act. The Electoral Commission is an independent organisation, any complaints or representations they receive are a matter for them.

European Parliament: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what instruction the Electoral Commission was given following the Government announcement that the UK was not intending to participate in the 2019 European elections.

Kevin Foster: The Electoral Commission is an independent body and the Government does not instruct them on any matter.

Electoral Register

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has received any representations from local authorities advocating for an extension to the voter registration deadline.

Kevin Foster: Regional Returning Officers, the Electoral Commission and other organisations such as theAssociation of Electoral Administrators and SOLACE are working together to plan for potentialpolls on 23 May and dealing with any issues that arise. We are we are working with them tosupport the effective delivery of the pollsThe European Parliamentary Elections (Franchise of Relevant Citizens of the Union) Regulations2001 would have to be amended to alter the deadline for applications and declarations fromrelevant EU citizens. These Regulations are made under section 2(2) of the EuropeanCommunities Act 1972, and so amending this would require further Regulations under section 2(2)of that ActThe Electoral Commission is an independent organisation, any complaints or representations theyreceive are a matter for them.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the written statement of 8 October 2018, Official Report, column 3WS on GOV.UK Verify Programme, whether non-Gov.UK Verify identity providers have access to the Document Checking Service.

Oliver Dowden: The Document Checking Service is currently only available to the GOV.UK Verify identity providers.

European Parliament: Elections

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2019 to Question 246989 on European Parliament: Elections and the Answer of 18 May 2018 to Question 143730 on European Parliament: Elections, for what reason his Department was able to publish an estimate of the savings accrued to the public purse of not holding the election, but not able to publish an estimate of holding the elections.

Kevin Foster: The estimated savings were based on the established cost of delivering the previous European Parliamentary elections in 2014, which cost the public purse £108.7 million. The potential cost of a 2019 European Parliamentary election, should it take place, would not be known until after the poll, once all expenses claims have been received and settled and invoices paid. For example, the postage costs of the freepost mailing will depend on the number of nominated parties/candidates, who in turn then choose to take up the offer of the mailing. The Cabinet Office has now published the relevant Charges Order which provides the basis for reimbursing Returning Officers for their services and any expenses necessarily incurred in relation to the European Parliamentary elections.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to continuing professional development for the clinical NHS workforce in England in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2019-20.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to continuing professional development for registered nursing staff in the NHS in England in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2019-20.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the criteria used by Health Education England to determine the budget allocation for workforce development for registered nursing staff in the NHS in England.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of Health Education England’s budget for workforce development in the NHS from 2010-11 to 2019-20 was allocated to (a) registered nursing staff, (b) medicine professions and (c) allied health professions.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the criteria used by Health Education England to determine the budget for workforce development for (a) medicine and (b) dental staff in the NHS in England.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not allocate funding for continuous professional development (CPD) or workforce development for the National Health Service clinical workforce or registered nursing staff. Health Education England (HEE) contributes, based on local priorities, workforce development funding, including some which may used for CPD, to local NHS employers.The following table below sets out funding since 2013 to the latest data available. Workforce development investment prior to 2013 was managed by individual strategic health authorities for which data is not available. Year£ million2013/14190.92014/15205.02015/16205.02016/17104.312017/1883.52018/1983.5 Note:1The reduction in workforce development funding between 2015/16 and 2016/17 was transferred to spending on new nursing undergraduate courses under the previous undergraduate funding system resulting in around 3,000 extra nurses.In addition, individual NHS employers have responsibility for supporting staff workforce development (a proportion of which may be used locally for some CPD) courses which are required to fulfil duties to work in their organisation and core employment requirements. Data on the level of workforce development and CPD investment made by individual NHS employers between 2010/11 and 2019/20 is not collected centrally. Therefore, information on the totality of workforce development or CPD funding or a breakdown by profession is not held centrally.Following publication of the NHS Long Term Plan, HEE is currently finalising and introducing a new national methodology for allocating workforce development (a proportion of which may be used locally for some CPD) funding from 2019/20 onwards. Allocations of available workforce development (a proportion of which may be used locally for some CPD) funding provided by HEE to the NHS in England will be made using this formula once finalised.Prior to 2019/20 Health Education England (HEE) did not use an allocation formula for its budget for workforce development funding (a proportion of which may be used locally for some CPD). Taking into account its overall allocation from the Department and the workforce priorities it is required to deliver as set in its annual mandate from Government, decisions on levels of workforce development (a proportion of which may be used locally for some CPD) investment made available via HEE were taken based on discussions with local employers via HEE regional offices. At a national level, HEE supported these discussions with guidance on how this funding should be used most effectively on proven activities and programmes across a range of professions.

X-rays

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of whether hospitals frequently need to rely on the family members of patients to assist in x-ray procedures.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has made no such assessment.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-disclosure agreements (a) NHS England and (b) NHS Improvement have entered into with staff in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: There have been zero non-disclosure agreements issued by NHS England or NHS Improvement in the last five years as part of any settlement agreement.

Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from the medical profession on confidence in the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration.

Stephen Hammond: In the past 12 months my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has received both written and verbal representations from the British Medical Association about its confidence in the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB).The Government has also received written representations from the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association.There have also been some representations from individual doctors.This Government remains committed to the continuing role of independent pay review bodies in the public sector to make recommendations on the remuneration of the staff groups covered by their remits. The DDRB is the longest established review body and we respect its independence and the valuable role it plays in taking evidence from all parties and making evidence-based recommendations.

Health Services and Social Services: Trade Unions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) discussions and (b) meetings (i) he, (ii) Ministers of his Department and (iii) officials of his Department have had with trades unions representing health and social care workers in each of the last twelve months.

Stephen Hammond: Departmental Ministers and officials have attended official and unofficial fora, including ad hoc meetings and discussions to engage with trades unions on a wide range of policies throughout the year.The Department relies on and values the role trades unions and other stakeholders play in informing the development of health and social care policies. Good partnership working at a national and local level is vital in helping the National Health Service continuously improve the quality and safety of health and care services.Regarding the NHS workforce, the NHS Social Partnership Forum established in 1998 is where health ministers, Departmental officials, trades unions and NHS Employers meet to discuss policies that affect the NHS workforce. Over the last 12 months (April 2018 to March 2019) there have been three Wider Group meetings (chaired by health ministers) and six Strategic Group meetings led by Departmental officials.

NHS: Pensions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of changes to the NHS Pension Scheme and tax arrangements on retention rates of NHS doctors.

Stephen Hammond: The NHS Pension Scheme is a generous benefit for National Health Service staff and one of the best pension schemes available. The Government recognises that NHS doctors have raised concerns about pension tax charges being a factor in their decisions to retire early or limit their NHS commitments. The Government keeps the impact of its pay and pensions policies under constant review.The Treasury and the Department of Health and Social Care are currently in discussions on pension issues.

Mental Capacity

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations his Department has received from (a) members of the public and (b) civil society groups on Government policy in relation to mental capacity and deprivation of liberty measures.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has received representations from both individuals and civil society groups in relation to mental capacity and deprivation of liberty during the passage of the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill through Parliament. The Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill has almost completed its Parliamentary process. The Bill replaces the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards with the Liberty Protection Safeguards. The new system will be simpler and more streamlined and efficient, improving protections for vulnerable people. The Department engaged with the third-sector, health and social care organisations, user-led groups and individuals, including those with learning disabilities and dementia during the Bill’s development and passage through the House and is continuing to engage with the sector to develop the statutory Code of Practice.

Nurses: Recruitment

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to encourage school leavers to enter nursing.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the nurse training framework and pay structure to attract sufficient numbers of people to enter the profession.

Stephen Hammond: In 2018 NHS England launched the ‘We are the NHS’ communication campaign which was delivered in two phases. The first phase aimed at improving the positive perception of and pride of working in the National Health Service to help recruit new student nurses into training, qualified nurses return to practice and retain more of the existing nursing workforce that the NHS already employs. The second phase was designed to focus on attracting new undergraduate students to apply for nurse degree training courses. Phase two ran throughout the period that the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) was open to degree applications and ended on 15 January 2019.Health Education England also ran an extensive health education careers website which sets out all the exciting roles that are available in the NHS including all nursing careers. This is available at the following link:www.healthcareers.nhs.ukIt has also launched an interactive NHS careers finder tool which is available all those looking at identifying a career that would suit them in the NHS. This is available at the following link:www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/career-toolsFollowing extensive consultation and stakeholder engagement the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has published a new Standards Framework for Nursing and Midwifery. The Standards Framework forms part of a wider suite of Future Nurse education standards for registered nurses which were published in May 2018. Education institutions must be approved against these standards to run any NMC approved programmes by September 2020.

Multiple Births

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that clinicians follow NHS guidance and best practice on child twin and triplet delivery.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department expects all clinicians to use the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines to inform their clinical practice. However, to further promote consistency in the levels of maternity care experienced across trusts, all maternity services now have one obstetrician, one midwife and one board level Maternity Safety Champion jointly responsible for championing maternity safety, spreading learning and encouraging best practice within their organisations. This includes adherence to NICE guidelines on issues such as antenatal care for multiple pregnancies.In addition, every maternity service in the National Health Service is actively implementing elements of the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle, which is designed to tackle stillbirth and early neonatal death.

Health Services: Artificial Intelligence

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to implement the recommendations in the report by the all-party parliamentary group on Heart and Circulatory Diseases entitled Putting patients at the heart of artificial intelligence.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There is a cross-cutting programme of work across the health and care system, led by NHSX, which delivers on the All Party Parliamentary Group recommendations and ensure that only the best and safest Artificial Intelligence systems are used by the National Health Service. The programme will also make it easier for suppliers to develop technologies that tackle some of the biggest issues in healthcare. Officials from the Department were part of the advisory board for the report and supported the development of the recommendations.

Health Services: Artificial Intelligence

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHSX will take to ensure that patients are (a) informed about and (b) engaged in the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHSX is driven by user needs, so any technology we introduce, including that related to artificial intelligence (AI), must be done with, and not for patients. We are developing a policy toolkit for responsibly applied AI in health and care, and we are working closely with public voice organisations to ensure that patients are involved and engaged.We are also developing tools to help technology vendors comply with principle 7 of the Code of Conduct for Data-Driven Health and Care Technology: "Show what type of algorithm is being developed or deployed, the ethical examination of how the data is used, how its performance will be validated and how it will be integrated into health and care provision." In the middle of April these tools were tested with patients and we are currently refining based on the feedback we received.We will continue to engage with patients as we work to maintain and improve public trust and patient safety.

Primodos

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the robustness of procedures to avoid conflicts of interest in the setting up of the Expert Working group led by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency on the effects of the drug primodos on pregnant women.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his (a) Ministers and (b) officials have had with the (i) Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency and (ii) members of the Expert Working Group on the review of hormone pregnancy tests (primodos) on why that Working Group changed the terms for that review from looking for an association to looking for a causal link as to the effect of the drugs concerned on the women it was given to.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has a clearly defined, published policy on conflicts of interest for members of its scientific advisory committees and groups. This policy has been in place for a number of years and defines the level of participation of experts in the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) and its Expert Groups.Prior to being appointed to the CHM Expert Working Group (EWG) on Hormone Pregnancy Tests, all those invited to participate were required to complete and sign a declaration of interests form. At each meeting, experts were asked to declare any new interests. Experts with declared interests were precluded from participating in the EWG’s decision-making. Specific consideration was given to any concerns raised during the review and, in one case, led to one invited expert stepping down from the group before any scientific data were reviewed, even though the interest (a consultancy) had lapsed. All declared interests have been published.In relation to the terms of reference of the EWG, an association between Hormone Pregnancy Tests and birth defects had long been the subject of debate, but the nature of any association remained uncertain. The EWG was formed specifically to review all the available evidence on the possible association between Hormone Pregnancy Tests during pregnancy and birth defects and reach a conclusion as to whether or not it supported a causal association. The terms of reference of the Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests defined the scope of the review, not the conclusion of the group, and did not change.

NHS: Bullying

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce incidences of bullying and harassment in the NHS.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is committed to working in partnership with its arm’s length bodies, National Health Service organisations, trade unions and staff to deliver its manifesto commitment to tackle rates of bullying which are too high.Ministers commissioned the national Social Partnership Forum (SPF) to tackle bullying. The SPF approach to ‘Creating positive workplace cultures and tackling bullying in the NHS - a collective call to action’ is entering its third year. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.socialpartnershipforum.org/priority-areas/creating-positive-workplace-cultures-and-tackling-bullying-in-the-nhs-a-collective-call-to-action/The forthcoming People Plan is also expected to include actions to tackle bullying which will complement existing good practice already in place across the NHS and promoted via SPF’s “collective call to action” and other initiatives such as the Alliance of organisations committed to tackling bullying, recently launched and led by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the National Guardian, the UK Health Departments and many others. The Alliance advocates kindness and respect in selecting staff with the right values and building kindness and respect into staff training and development throughout their careers. Note: The SPF brings together NHS Employers, NHS Trade Unions, NHS England, Health Education England, NHS Improvement and the Department to discuss and debate the development and implementation of the workforce implications of policy.

Autism: Females

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the diagnosis of autism in women.

Caroline Dinenage: We are committed to ensuring all adults and children receive a timely autism diagnosis in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. The NHS Long Term Plan was published on 7 January 2019. The Plan commits to improving autism diagnostic pathways in England and ensuring autistic people have access to high-quality care and support in the community. Over the next three years, autism diagnosis will be included alongside work with children and young people’s mental health services to test and implement the most effective ways to reduce waiting times for specialist services. This will be a step towards achieving timely diagnostic assessments in line with best practice guidelines. The Department is determined to drive up performance on autism diagnosis nationally. To support this NHS Digital began formally collecting autism diagnosis waiting time data, including information on gender, from mental health provider trusts for the first time through the Mental Health Services Data set in April 2018.

NHS: Innovation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) augmented reality headsets and (b) innovative technologies to deliver improvements in the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department and the National Health Service recognise the huge potential for innovative technologies to transform the delivery of better and more efficient health services, and to improve patient experience and outcomes. This commitment to using innovative technologies to improve the NHS is a key theme in the NHS Long Term Plan and the second Life Sciences Sector Deal. It is also a driving force behind the new NHSX.To support better use of innovative technologies in the NHS, we are delivering approximately £100 million of funding, including:- £15 million for the NHS test beds programme, which supports industry and NHS collaborations to test their innovations in real-world clinical settings;- £39 million to improve local adoption and uptake of innovative medical technologies through the 15 Academic Health Science Networks; and- £35 million to encourage and support innovators to develop more world-leading digital solutions, including a surgery simulation training platform, utilising innovative haptic feedback and advanced Virtual Reality (VR) modelling through Fundamental VR.Underpinning these initiatives will be the improvement of the wider innovation ecosystem for all technologies, including those using augmented reality platforms. An enhanced and strengthened Accelerated Access Collaborative will improve patient access to the most effective technologies, and will complement the work of NHSX which will focus on the health system’s technology and digital infrastructure, ensuring that the NHS has the capability to adopt cutting-edge technologies.

Caxton Foundation

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the level of reserves held by The Caxton Foundation were, prior to their winding up in 2018; and how those reserves were distributed.

Jackie Doyle-Price: For the cessation period which ended 16 August 2018, closing reserves were £203,657 which was returned to the Department, as the Founder, at close on 16 August 2018, in line with the requirements of the Trust Deed.The Department has since directly financed the NHS Business Services Authority to administer the England Infected Blood Support Scheme to provide discretionary ex gratia financial assistance, to those individuals who have been shown to be infected or affected, by hepatitis C and HIV throughout the 1980s and 1990s. On 30 April 2019, the Department committed to increase the total amount of financial support for these individuals from £46 million to £75 million.

Medical Records: Databases

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to allow patient-led and third sector organisations to obtain patient data free of charge in order to populate data registries.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Commercial, public sector and charitable organisations access patient data from a range of organisations and link it for research purposes. Data are provided for free but a charge may be made to cover the costs of processing and providing the data in a format ready for use.We are keeping this position under review.

Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the devolved administrations for European Union Exit preparations so far.£21.1 million was allocated to the Department of Health and Social Care preparations for EU Exit in 2018/19, including planning for the United Kingdom leaving the EU without a deal. Spend against this allocation will be included in the 2018/19 financial accounts in due course.Preparations for the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU will continue through 2019/20 and £50 million of additional funding from HM Treasury has been made available for this purpose, as set out in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1205) laid before Parliament on 18 December 2018.This Government funding is to cover all exit scenarios and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU.The Department is preparing for all eventualities and we will continue to review resources required as events develop. We will seek to mitigate costs to the taxpayer wherever possible.

Medicine: Education

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial incentives are available to his Department to help increase the number of people applying for medicine courses.

Stephen Hammond: The Government does not consider that there is a requirement for national financial incentives as undergraduate medicine is a competitive subject to gain entry to. For 2018/19 entry, there were around three applicants to every place. Universities and medical schools may choose to offer local scholarships or financial awards to students which would cover or contribute to the cost of tuition fees. These may be targeted to students that are currently under-represented in medical education.More generally, all higher education providers wishing to charge higher level fees must have an access and participation plan agreed with the Office for Students. In these plans, providers must set out the measures they intend to put in place to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups to access and then successfully participate in higher education.For the first four years of an undergraduate medical degree, eligible students can access from Student Finance England (SFE) tuition fee support, a loan for living costs and other supplementary grants if applicable. From the fifth year of their course, medical students are able to apply for the National Health Service bursary to help with tuition fees and living costs. They can also apply for a non-means tested reduced rate living cost loan from SFE in the fifth year of their course.

Genetics: Screening

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase (a) access and (b) referral rates for genetic services.

Caroline Dinenage: Building on the 100,000 Genomes Project and existing genetic services, NHS England announced in October 2018 that over the next 18 months, work to mobilise the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) would get underway, providing consistent and equitable care for the country’s 55 million population.Investment for genomics was included as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, setting out commitments over the next five years to:- Sequence 500,000 whole genomes by 2023/24, as part of a Government commitment to sequence 1 million whole genomes;- Extend the use of molecular diagnostic testing and routine offering whole genome sequencing to seriously ill children who are likely to have a rare genetic disorder, children with cancer, and adults suffering from certain rare conditions or specific cancers;- Link and correlate genomics, clinical data and data from patients, providing routes to new treatments, diagnostic patterns and information to help patients make informed decisions about their care; and- Increase the number of people identified with familial hypercholesterolaemia (inherited high cholesterol) from 7% to 25% over the next five years.The NHS Genomic Medicine Service will be supported by an informatics system that is being developed in partnership with Genomics England. When fully operational, the informatics system will enable NHS England to monitor the number of genomic tests being carried out across the country and benchmark activity.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential effect of proposed changes to the immigration system on the health and social care workforces.

Stephen Hammond: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with the Home Secretary on a range of subjects including the future immigration system and its impact on the health and social care sectors.

Lung Cancer: Diagnosis

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of diagnoses of lung cancer before it has reached stage 3 or 4.

Seema Kennedy: The NHS Long Term Plan included an ambition that 75% of cancers will be diagnosed at stage 1 and 2 by 2028. The plan sets out a number of key steps to achieve this, including raising greater awareness of symptoms of cancer, accelerating access to diagnosis and treatment and maximising the number of cancers that we identify through screening. Meeting this ambition will also require the National Health Service to harness new technological advances to target at risk patients more effectively; directing our research and innovation effort to the areas where the data tells us we can have the biggest impact; and mobilising the NHS so that we can adopt proven new approaches more quickly.In February 2019, NHS England announced that Targeted Lung Health Checks will be one of the first projects to roll out following the launch of the NHS Long Term Plan that was published in January 2019. The Targeted Lung Health Check programme will cover 10 initial sites covering 14 clinical commissioning groups until 2023 in areas that have been selected as they have some of the highest rates of lung cancer mortality. People aged 55-74 that have ever smoked will be invited to have a free lung check. Results from these initial sites will form the basis for a wider rollout across the country.

Lung Cancer: Health Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the misconception that only people who smoke are at risk of developing lung cancer.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England (PHE) continues to run awareness campaigns focused on the symptoms of lung cancer where the messaging is relevant to both smokers and non-smokers.For example, the PHE Be Clear on Cancer Respiratory Symptoms campaign encourages those with a persistent cough or inappropriate breathlessness to visit their doctor, with the aim of improving earlier diagnosis of heart and lung disease, including lung cancer. The campaign has run twice nationally, in 2016 and 2017. This campaign can be viewed at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/be-clear-on-cancerThe precursor to this campaign centred on one main symptom, that of a persistent cough, as a possible symptom of lung cancer. This lung cancer campaign ran nationally three times, in 2012, 2013 and 2014.The Be Clear on Cancer campaign materials, explain that although lung cancer is more common in smokers, those who have never smoked can also get the disease, including details of the number of people diagnosed with lung cancer each year. The leaflet is available at the following link:https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/46/resources/1744

Blood: Donors

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rules are on blood donations for men who have sex with men who also use PrEP.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Blood and Transplant implements a three-month deferral period for men who have sex with men, irrespective of whether an individual routinely takes pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk against infection with HIV. This deferral period is based on expert independent advice, provided by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs, to protect donors and the patients who receive donated blood.At a population level, men who have sex with men have a higher risk of acquiring a blood-borne virus or a sexually transmitted disease. Using PrEP can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV but it does not eliminate it. PrEP also does not reduce the risk of an individual becoming infected by other sexually transmitted infections, such as syphilis and hepatitis, and subsequently transmitting these infections through donated blood.NHS Blood and Transplant appreciates that any deferral is disappointing if an individual would like to save lives by giving blood. NHS Blood and Transplant is currently working with LGBT+ groups to explore more individualised assessments and hope to report their findings towards the end of 2020.

Stem Cells: Donors

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) raise awareness of the need for stem cell donations from people aged 16-30 and (b) encourage those people to join the stem cell donor register.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stem Cells: Donors

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on including information on the need for stem cell donation in the compulsory health education to be taught in secondary schools from September 2020.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department for Education is making health education compulsory in all state funded schools. The draft guidance includes the teaching of the science relating to blood, organ and stem cell donation. This will also be complemented by teaching in the national curriculum for science in maintained schools. Schools will be encouraged and supported to teach this from September 2019 and required to do so from September 2020. The regulations have now been debated and passed in both Houses, so the draft guidance will be published as final shortly.

Pharmacy: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to agree a multi-year funding commitment with community pharmacies to help ensure they can help achieve the goals of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Seema Kennedy: The Department, with NHS England, has recently begun negotiations to determine the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2019/20 and beyond. The length of any settlement will form part of these negotiations and as such a decision has not yet been taken. These negotiations are confidential and no further information can be provided at this time.

Pharmacy

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to use community pharmacies to reduce pressure on urgent care services across England as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Seema Kennedy: Both the NHS Long Term Plan and the Prevention is Better than Cure vision document set out an ambition to better utilise the skills and expertise within community pharmacy. The NHS Long Term Plan introduces the development of pharmacy connection schemes that will enable patients, who do not need primary medical services, to be referred from NHS 111 and General Practitioner practices, to a community pharmacy for support and advice with a minor illness. The Department, with NHS England, has recently begun negotiations to determine the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2019/20 and beyond. These negotiations will include discussions about the role of community pharmacy as set out within the NHS Long Term Plan. As the negotiations are confidential, no further detail can be provided at this time.

NHS: Cost Benefit Analysis

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a cost-benefit analysis of advancing the development of (a) better diagnostics and (b) new antibiotics.

Seema Kennedy: It is widely recognised that, along with lowering the burden of infection and exposure to resistance and optimising our use of antimicrobials, we also need a sustainable supply of new diagnostics, therapies and vaccines to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The World Bank has predicted a global shortfall of $1 trillion gross domestic product per year after 2030 that could push an extra 28.3 million people into extreme poverty if we do not address AMR; potentially an additional 10 million deaths will be attributable to AMR by 2050.The new United Kingdom five-year AMR national action plan, published alongside the UK 20-year vision for AMR on 24 January 2019, has therefore made the commitment to continue to invest in and promote innovation to tackle AMR and to work with international partners to agree a coordinated global system for incentivising new diagnostics and therapeutics. The UK is leading the way in testing solutions that address the failure of companies to invest in the development of new antimicrobials.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he holds information on when the hon. Member for West Lancashire will receive a response to correspondence sent to Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust on 19 December 2018 regarding mental health care; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Improvement has advised that the Trust responded to the hon. Member’s letter on 1 May.

Opiates: Prescriptions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of opioid prescription rates per 100,000 people in each local authority area in England in each of the last 10 years.

Seema Kennedy: Information is not available in the format requested.

Social Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 7 January 2019, Official Report, column 69, for what reasons the  Social Care Green Paper was not published before April 2019; and what his Department's timescale is for the publication of that document.

Caroline Dinenage: The Green Paper remains a priority for the Government and will address a longstanding policy problem. The Green Paper will be published at the earliest opportunity.

Department for International Development

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether more UK aid will be provided to Sudan in response to the military coup.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID (with colleagues across HMG) continues to monitor closely developments in Sudan. We are at the early stages of the political transition, with no surety of outcome. However, recent negotiations between the Transitional Military Council and the civilian opposition indicate that progress towards a civilian-led administration is possible. DFID has resources within its current framework to support macro-economic reform, the process of political transition and the provision of ongoing support to the eight million that depend on humanitarian assistance. These will be the main priorities for UK support in the coming months. We will keep developments in Sudan under close review and will make any decisions on potential shifts to UK aid in Sudan on the basis of careful analysis of needs and dialogue with partners in country.

Climate Change Convention

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the Government's priorities are for the UN Secretary-General’s 2019 Climate Change summit.

Harriett Baldwin: The UN Climate Action Summit will be a critical moment for accelerating global climate ambition – cutting emissions, building resilience and mobilising finance – and the Government is fully committed to ensuring its success.The UK is leading on resilience and adaptation with Egypt, and our ambition for the Summit is to send a clear political signal that we urgently need to act on climate risk. We aim to drive systemic change in the way the world plans and invests to secure food and water and reduce the impact of disaster. The international community needs to step up efforts to support vulnerable people and the planet to better prepare for and withstand climate shocks and stresses.

Weather: Disaster Relief

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance has been allocated to humanitarian aid projects as a result of extreme weather events since 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend, including on humanitarian aid, is published in our Statistics on International Development annual reports and can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics.The figures are not disaggregated into spend specifically on extreme weather events given the interrelated factors driving humanitarian need in many contexts, including climatic conditions, instability, insecurity and vulnerability.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to secure international action on tackling climate change.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK played a pivotal role in securing the Paris Agreement in 2015 and we continue to take a leading role internationally in forging agreements and leading by example. The UK pledged to provide at least £5.8bn of International Climate Finance (ICF) between 2016 and 2020, aiming for an even split between mitigation and adaptation – and placing us amongst the world’s lead providers of climate finance. The United Nations Climate Action Summit later this year will be an important moment in increasing global climate ambition and action. The UK is co-leading on the climate resilience and adaptation theme with Egypt, in partnership with Malawi, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. This is a crucial opportunity to propel an unprecedented shift in enabling government, businesses and people to adapt to and cope with climate shocks and stresses. We have also offered to host the international climate change negotiations in 2020, which will be critical for agreeing more urgent and ambitious action on climate change.

African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to support partner Governments in Africa to implement the conditions of the Kampala Convention; and what steps she is taking to encourage those countries who have not yet signed up to that convention to do so.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK supports the Kampala Convention, which provides a foundation to better protect and consider the needs of internally displaced persons. We are supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to work with African States to adopt the Kampala Convention through our core funding of £63m per year. The UK is the second largest donor to the ICRC.

Migration

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to create a national strategy on migration and forced displacement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government takes an integrated approach to migration and forced displacement. On migration, the UK’s coordinated approach is set out in the Illegal Migration Strategy, which aims to improve asylum and returns processes and combat organised immigration crime and modern slavery, as well as to promote safe and regular migration in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The government’s strategy on forced displacement is to address the drivers of conflict, instability and lack of economic opportunities in key source countries.In addition, DFID is leading UK government efforts to secure more coordinated global management of migration & displacement through the separate Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees.

Burma: Rohingya

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to monitor whether the closure of camps for Rohingya internally displaced persons in Myanmar is taking place in line with international humanitarian law; and if she will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: While the UK supports camp closures in line with the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations, we are concerned that Government of Myanmar has not granted freedom of movement. We are monitoring the situation closely with the international community and pressing for adherence with global best practice on camp closure. The UK provides humanitarian aid to all displaced peoples and host communities based on need, regardless of camp closure. The UK has provided £82m of humanitarian aid since 2012 to support internally displaced people (IDP) across Myanmar. Humanitarian access is limited but we are pioneering new ways to remotely manage and monitor the impact of our programmes, while continuing to press for access. We are also providing a further £13.5m development support to IDPs to improve nutrition, skills, and education and amplify the voice of displaced people in policy positions.

Iraq: Females

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the empowerment of women in Iraq.

Harriett Baldwin: We are committed to the empowerment of women in Iraq, where inequality has increased following decades of war. DFID has funded UN and NGO partners to deliver humanitarian aid and protection for girls and women, access to livelihoods for female headed households, and to improve women’s opportunities in higher education. The UK's regional gender project, MENAFEM, operates in Iraq and delivers capacity building to six women’s rights organisations in Iraq, as well as funding direct activity on advocacy, women’s political participation, GBV prevention and support to survivors.The UK remains a key partner for supporting the implementation of the Iraqi National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. Gender equality, achieved through empowered girls and women and through appropriate targeted support to all Iraqis, is fundamental to building a prosperous, resilient economy and a stable and peaceful Iraq.

Gaza: Health Professions

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of Palestinian health workers in Gaza allegedly killed by Israeli Defence Force actions in the last two years.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is aware of the danger healthcare workers face while working in Gaza and continues to remain deeply concerned. The World Health Organisation reported that, in the context of protests, from March 2018 to March 2019, 3 healthcare personnel have been killed and 731 injured, with a total of 446 total incidents against health staff and facilities. We have raised our concerns about the excessive volume of live fire that Israel has used to respond to protests, including against medics, and we have stressed to Israel the importance of protecting those delivering medical services.

Gaza: Diseases

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Israeli blockade of Gaza on (a) infant mortality rates, (b) levels of malnutrition, (c) instances of communicable diseases per 100,000 people and (d) prevalence of diseases related to poor sanitation in that territory.

Harriett Baldwin: We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and continually monitor the impact on both children and adults living there. We are particularly concerned about the health sector: UN OCHA’s 2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview estimates 900,000 people are in need of humanitarian health interventions in Gaza. DFID regularly reviews key warning indicators on health, food security, protection, shelter, water and sanitation, and energy and fuel reserves in Gaza, to ensure that we can flexibly respond to urgent needs on the ground. Last month we provided an additional £2 million to the ICRC to support the health sector in Gaza. We continue to stress to the Israeli authorities the damage that their restrictions on movement and access are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians and the impact they have on the humanitarian situation, in particular the health of the population in Gaza and the development of health services there.

Libya: Undocumented Migrants

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will support the urgent humanitarian evacuation out of Libya of refugees and migrants held in detention centres in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: We are deeply concerned by reports of violence in Libyan detention centres, and are calling on all parties to allow civilians, including refugees and migrants, to be evacuated to safety. We continue to closely monitor the humanitarian situation in Libya, including conditions in detention centres. The UK Government is clear that all parties to the conflict must do all that they can to prevent any further loss of life, including by respecting their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and engaging with the UN and humanitarian community to get aid to those in need and for the wounded and those at risk to be safely evacuated.

Libya: Undocumented Migrants

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support vulnerable migrants in Libya.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK combines short and long term work to provide a comprehensive approach to global migration which includes addressing the immediate impacts of mass migration flows as well as their root causes. This means working to bring about an end to conflicts, helping migrant origin countries to reduce the drivers of illegal migration by building stability, and tackling criminal smuggling gangs. Under DFID’s £75 million humanitarian migration programme, we have allocated up to £5 million to assistance and protection for vulnerable refugees and migrants in Libya, which includes targeted healthcare provision. Alongside this, through our contributions to the EU Trust Fund for Africa, we are supporting the UNHCR’s emergency evacuations from Libya, voluntary returns and reintegration, as well as providing limited support for those within detention centres. As announced yesterday, DFID has committed £1 million to the UN Flash Appeal for Libya which will assist the most vulnerable people, including refugees and migrants.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to (a) the democratic process in Sudan and (b) help ensure participation in that process by opposition parties.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has continually been very clear in its messaging about the importance of Sudan respecting democratic norms and permitting open political space. DFID will provide support for the democratic process through our governance and economic reform programme, which has been specifically designed to respond to opportunities as they arise in Sudan. This could take the form of providing support to a range of civilian and civil society organisations to support their participation in the transition process. We also engage with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Britain Fund, which has provided support to democracy in Sudan through projects seeking to reinforce democratic scrutiny of government decisions at the National Assembly, and some support to policy making for opposition political parties.

Department for Education

Schools: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the number of schools (a) offered support under Opportunity North East’s ONE Vision programme and (b) that have indicated they will accept that support.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Opportunity North East initiative, if he will publish the methodology used to determine eligibility for the ONE Vision Schools programme.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Opportunity North East initiative, what criteria will be used to determine the interventions employed in ONE Vision Schools; and who is responsible for determining that criteria.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the number of pupils (a) attending all mainstream schools in the North East who are in the region’s lowest quintile of Attainment 8 scores and (b) attending ONE Vision Schools who are within the region’s lowest quintile of Attainment 8 scores.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the number of pupils attending (a) all schools in the North East who are within the region’s lowest quintile of capped GCSE point scores, based on their best eight entries and (b) attending ONE Vision Schools who are within the region’s lowest quintile of capped GCSE point scores, based on their best eight entries.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure the ONE Vision Schools programme does not adversely effect schools that are not participating in that scheme.

Nadhim Zahawi: We will publish both the number of schools that were made an offer of support, the number that accepted the support, and the methodology used to determine eligibility for the Opportunity North East’s ONE Vision Schools programme in due course.The ONE Vision programme aims to improve outcomes for young people at key stages 4 and 5 in 30 secondary phase schools. We selected Ofsted Requires Improvement (RI) as the single indicator to identify the long list of secondary phase schools in scope to become a ONE Vision school and, by exception, Ofsted Inadequate schools. We then shortlisted schools using a comprehensive review of their performance data, pupil demographics, Ofsted history and intelligence from local authorities and trusts on which schools were priorities for support. We made an initial offer of support to 32 schools, of which 30 accepted.The support that each ONE Vision school receives will be bespoke to their individual circumstances. It will be determined by an analysis of need comprising an External Review of Governance, undertaken by a National Leader of Governance; a Financial Health Check, undertaken by a School Resource Management Adviser; and a School Development Review, undertaken by a National Leader of Education or other high performing school leader. This analysis will identify the schools’ main priorities for improvement.The following table shows the number of pupils in 2017/18 (a) attending all state-funded mainstream schools in the North East who are in the region’s lowest quintile of Attainment 8 scores, and (b) attending ONE Vision Schools who are within the region’s lowest quintile of Attainment 8 scores. Number of pupils in North East in lowest quintile[1] of Attainment 8 scores (state-funded mainstream schools[2])Number of pupils in North East in One Vision schools in lowest quintile1 of Attainment 8 scores (state-funded mainstream schools2)4,8361,169 The following table shows the number of pupils in 2017/18 (a) attending all state-funded schools in the North East who are within the region’s lowest quintile of capped GCSE point scores, based on their best eight entries, and (b) attending ONE Vision Schools who are within the region’s lowest quintile of capped GCSE point scores, based on their best eight entries. Number of pupils in North East in lowest quintile1 of best eight entries scores (all state-funded schools)Number of pupils in North East in One Vision schools in lowest quintile1 of best eight entries scores (all state-funded schools)4,8791,135 It is a goal of the ONE Vision programme to build capacity in these 30 schools so that they are able to support other schools in the future. To ensure that the ONE Vision activity does not adversely affect schools that are not participating in the programme, we will continue to speak with local authorities and trusts as part of our monitoring activities to understand what impact ONE Vision is having on the wider community. We will also continue to monitor the performance of all schools across the region. [1] Quintiles are based on pupil ranking rather than school ranking. As more than one pupil can have the same attainment score, more than 20 percent of pupils can have scores in the lowest 20 percent.[2] Region figures cover achievements in state-funded schools only. They do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas.

Schools: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the potential benefits of (a) additional funding for training chairs of governance and (b) careers pilots in primary schools in Opportunity Area designation will be extended to the Opportunity North East initiative.

Nadhim Zahawi: The additional funding announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, in June 2018 is helping to improve the capacity and capability of governors, including training for chairs and vice-chairs through our existing governance leadership programmes. These programmes are available to eligible participants in Opportunity North East local authorities and the £500 rate will fully fund participation of the chair or vice-chair of governors. For ONE Vision schools, where governor training is identified as a priority by the analysis of need for both the chair or vice-chair, additional support will be provided. More information on the national programme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-governors-professional-development.The government’s careers strategy, published in 2017, called for more evidence of effective approaches in primary schools to allow schools to learn from best practice and build their expertise. We asked our delivery partner, the Careers & Enterprise Company, to publish research on ‘what works’ in career-related learning activities in primary school. The findings have informed a £2 million investment fund to develop and extend career-related learning. Successful applicants will be confirmed soon, with delivery beginning in September 2019 and both local enterprise partnerships in the North East were eligible to apply. More information can be found here: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/funding/primary-fund.

Schools: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Opportunity North East Strategic Board, if he will appoint (a) a North East based headteacher as the Board’s co-chair; and (b) one or more North East based classroom teachers to the Board.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he made of the potential merits of the recommendations of the report entitled, Implementation of Opportunity Areas: An independent evaluation published by the National Foundation for Educational Research when appointing the chair of the Opportunity North East Strategic Board.

Nadhim Zahawi: Opportunity North East is different from an Opportunity Area in a number of ways, including that it operates across 12 local authority areas. It also has a highly focused remit to accelerate the improvement in educational outcomes from secondary school and beyond, leading to improved employment outcomes for the region’s young people.The existing constitution of the board includes leaders from schools, further education and higher education, local government and business, and reflects the need to work across these sectors to bring about sustainable improvements to outcomes for young people in the region. The board includes the leaders of multi-academy trusts who have a good track record in improving school performance in the North East. The school sector is further represented by three local authority Directors of Children’s Services, and the Director of Schools North East. We do not intend to appoint a headteacher as a co-chair, or one or more classroom teachers to the Strategic Board. A schools sub group, which includes an additional three school leaders and the region’s Education Endowment Foundation Research School, advises the Strategic Board. Details about members of the board can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/expert-panel-confirmed-to-raise-education-outcomes-in-north-east.The current composition of the board has enabled swift decision making, and strong commitment from across the department, so that activity can get underway through the ONE Vision programme from this September, meaning that young people can begin to benefit from as early as September this year. Officials will continue to work closely with a great number of school leaders in the region, through the various strands of work, to ensure that the programme delivers sustainable improvements in outcomes.

Schools: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps Opportunity North East will take to smooth transitions from primary to secondary education.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our intention is to invite schools, trusts and local authorities to bring forward proposals for improving secondary outcomes for young people through better transition from primary to secondary school. Through Opportunity North East we will then fund several projects to test the impact of the most promising proposals. This will support more young people in the North East to continue to achieve well at secondary school. It will also enable us to learn more about which approaches have the greatest positive impact so that a greater number of young people are able to benefit in the future.

Young People: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps Opportunity North East will take to partner with local businesses to improve job prospects for young people across the region.

Nadhim Zahawi: Opportunity North East is working collaboratively with both Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the North East - the Tees Valley LEP and North East LEP - to improve career prospects for the region’s young people. Both LEPs already have established networks of business engagement with schools. Every school has a designated Enterprise Advisor, typically a volunteer from the business community, providing support to the school leadership team. These advisors are supported by a network of other business leaders who offer school specific experiences. Following the implementation of the National Career Benchmarks, piloted here in the North East, every child will have a bespoke career plan generating at least 4 meaningful work experiences.The chairs of both LEPs are members of the Opportunity North East Strategic Board. They are working jointly to develop an enhanced offer of careers and enterprise engagement and support for students in the ONE Vision schools, funded through Opportunity North East. The LEPs will use their extensive industry networks to harness the support of local businesses in developing this offer where it makes sense to do so.

Opportunity North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will list meetings (a) he and (b) his Ministers have had to discuss the Opportunity North East initiative outside of Opportunity North East Strategic Board meetings since January 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and his ministers have met with officials to discuss the Opportunity North East (ONE) initiative outside of ONE Strategic Board meetings on 10 occasions since January 2018.

Teachers: Training

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the results of Government-funded schemes to encourage more people to enter the teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: The latest Initial Teacher Training (ITT) census shows that postgraduate recruitment is at its highest level since 2011/12[1], with 29,255 postgraduate trainees recruited this academic year. The Department’s financial incentives package makes a substantial contribution to this. We offer bursaries and scholarships of up to £28,000 for priority subjects, working in partnership with professional bodies such as the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry.The Department’s analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the current financial offer. As the National Audit Office have acknowledged, the Department found that an increase of £1,000 in bursary value led to a 2.9% increase in applications for postgraduate ITT. The vast majority of bursary recipients go straight from training to the classroom. 94% of 2016/17 postgraduate trainee teachers who successfully completed training in a bursary subject were in a teaching post six months later.To ensure that the Department is spending money effectively, it is piloting two new financial incentives. The first is a phased bursary for mathematics teachers which comprises a lower bursary during training, followed by early-career payments in the third and fifth years of teaching. The second is a student loan reimbursement scheme for languages and science teachers. Both pilots are designed to encourage talented teachers to remain in the profession.[1] Teach First recruitment has been included in ITT census data since 2015/16.

Teachers: Recruitment

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding available to support teacher recruitment beyond 2024.

Nick Gibb: In line with standard Government practice, funding beyond 2019/20 is a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.The Department recognises that funding is crucial to making the ambitions of our recently published Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy a reality. That is why the Department has made some specific funding commitments for key elements of the strategy such as the Early Career Framework (ECF).Once fully embedded in schools, the Department anticipates investing an additional £130 million every year to support ECF delivery in full.

Free School Meals

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils who (a) were and (b) were not eligible for free school meals in their last year of compulsory secondary school (i) entered at least one A level, (ii) achieved three or more A-levels, (iii) achieved grades ABB or better at A level, and (iv) achieved A*A*A or better at A-level in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes student’s achievements in A levels, in different grade combinations, split by characteristics. This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2017-to-2018-revised.Table 1, attached, uses this data to provide the number[1] of students entering at least one A level[2] and those who achieved A*/A*/A, A/B/B and E/E/E[3] [4] [5] or better, split by their free school meals (FSM) status[6] at the end of Key Stage 4. Figures are based on 2017/18[7] revised data, for students in state-funded schools and colleges. The Department does not publish estimates of the proportion of Key Stage 4 FSM pupils who go on to enter and achieve these different A level combinations by the end of 16-18 study. However, an estimate can be derived by comparing the published numbers to the size of the FSM and non-FSM groups from two years previously in 2016. These are shown in table 2, attached. [1] The cohort of students is based on those who are eligible for inclusion in the AAB measure, however this is further restricted (see footnote 2). Inclusion in the AAB measure refers to those who entered at least one full size A level, excluding applied A levels (this includes double award A levels, but does not include AS levels, general studies or critical thinking). If students are entered for less than three full size A levels, they are only included in the measure if they have not entered for other academic, applied general and T level qualifications greater than or equal to the size of an A level. Where a student has only been at a provider for one year, they need to have entered three A levels to be included.[2] Includes A level entries only (excludes double awards, AS levels and Applied A levels); it also excludes general studies and critical thinking.[3] Each student's total grades are taken and compared to the requested groupings. Inclusion in each group occurs when the student has the exact grades, or when three (or more) of their grades match or are higher than the required grades. Therefore, students with only 1 or 2 grades are excluded as they do not match or beat all three required grades. These figures will differ slightly from measures published for all students nationally, due to this slight methodological difference.[4] Only includes students with pass grades (A* to E). Discounting has been applied in line with performance tables methodology (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores).[5] The E/E/E combination identifies those who achieved three or more A levels as an E grade is the lowest passing grade.[6] Students FSM status is taken from the census recorded completed in their final year of Key Stage 4 year study. Students who completed their Key Stage 4 study in independent schools will not have been included in the census and are grouped as 'unknown FSM'.[7] Based on students who finished their 16 to 18 study in 2017/18. Covers results achieved during all years of 16-18 study (up to three years, i.e. the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 academic years).



244784_A_level_results_by_FSM
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Females: New Businesses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she has taken to promote entrepreneurship among female pupils in school.

Anne Milton: The government’s careers strategy for England, published in December 2017, aims to give young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn from employers about work and entrepreneurship. The careers strategy is clear that positive steps are being taken to eradicate gender norms in the classroom that could otherwise lead to girls narrowing their career choices.While it is for schools to decide how best to provide entrepreneurship education, the careers statutory guidance encourages schools in England to provide opportunities for all pupils, regardless of gender, to develop entrepreneurial skills.The Careers & Enterprise Company’s network of Enterprise Advisers, comprising of senior volunteers from business, helps schools and colleges to work with local businesses. This gives young people exposure to individuals, including positive female role models, who can provide insight into a wide range of jobs and careers. Over 2,000 business volunteers have been recruited and over 40% are self-employed or from small businesses and microbusinesses. Through the careers strategy, all schools and colleges will be offered an Enterprise Adviser by 2020.

Pupil Exclusions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will set up an independent inquiry into school exclusions, pupil referral units and their links to serious violence.

Nick Gibb: The issues surrounding serious violence, anti-social behaviour and absence and exclusion from school are complex, which is why we are working with the education and care sectors, the Home Office and other Departments as part of a comprehensive, multi-agency response. The externally led review of exclusions, led by Edward Timpson CBE, which is exploring how head teachers use exclusion in practice and difference in exclusion rates across England, will report shortly. Whilst exclusion is a marker for increased risk of being both a victim and perpetrator of crime, care must be taken not to draw a simple causal link between exclusions and knife crime as there is no clear evidence that this is the case. Therefore, whilst preventing knife crime requires a wider response than just exclusions, the report will help build the Department’s understanding of the use and impact of exclusion. It is vital that young people who have been excluded from school are safe and receive high-quality education and support to get them back on track. The Department knows there are many remarkable Alternative Provision (AP) settings where committed staff work together to ensure high-quality outcomes for their pupils. The Government is determined to ensure this best practice informs the reform of AP, which is why independent research was commissioned last year to better understand how AP works, and what works well.

Pupil Exclusions

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department holds data on hidden exclusions.

Nick Gibb: The information requested regarding “hidden exclusions” is not held centrally. ‘Informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusions, such as sending a pupil home ‘to cool off’, are unlawful, regardless of whether they occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods of time, must be formally recorded.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate funding in SEND provision in schools.

Nadhim Zahawi: Authorities are required to provide mainstream schools with sufficient funds to enable schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, up to £6,000. Top-up funding is then provided from local authorities high needs budgets. Nationally, high needs funding is £6.3 billion this year. We recognise that local authorities are facing cost pressures, which is why in December we allocated an additional £250 million across all local authorities up to 2020. Slough will receive £880,000 of this additional funding. This funding will help local authorities to manage their cost pressures. Funding for 2020-2021 and beyond will be determined in the Spending Review.

Free School Meals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money was allocated from the public purse towards the provision of free school meals in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in the most recent financial year for which data is available.

Nadhim Zahawi: For benefits-based free school meals (FSM) the department allocates around £440 per pupil per year currently eligible for and claiming FSM through the national funding formula to local authorities.Local authorities then distribute this money to schools through their local funding formula, which is set in consultation with schools. For 2018-19, local authorities collectively allocated £505 million in respect of pupils currently eligible for FSM.For the academic year 2017/2018 - the latest year in which data is available - the Department for Education spent £649 million delivering free meals for all infant children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state funded schools through the universal infant free school meals policy.FSM are fully devolved so the department does not hold information on how much was spent in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Schools: Discipline

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to provide statutory guidance to schools on the use of isolation rooms for students.

Nick Gibb: All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which should set out the behaviour expected of pupils, the sanctions that will be imposed for poor behaviour, and rewards for good behaviour. Schools have to make these policies publicly available on their websites. To help schools develop effective strategies, the Department has produced advice for schools which covers what should be included in the behaviour policy. This advice can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-and-discipline-in-schools. Schools can adopt a policy which allows disruptive pupils to be placed in isolation away from other pupils for a limited period. If a school uses isolation rooms as a disciplinary penalty, this should be made clear in their behaviour policy. As with other disciplinary penalties, schools must act lawfully, reasonably and proportionately in all cases. The school must also ensure the health and safety of pupils. The Department regularly reviews the guidance issued to schools and updates it as appropriate. The Department has no current plans to make the guidance statutory.

Pre-school Education: School Meals

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide meals for children accessing (a) free childcare and (b) pre-school provision.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government's early education funding is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week (for 38 weeks of the year) of free, high quality, flexible childcare for eligible 2, 3 and 4-year-olds. It is not intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables, additional hours or additional services. However, pupils attending a local authority maintained, academy or free school nursery are entitled to free school meals: as long as they are either in full-time education or receive education both before and after lunch and meet the benefits-based free school meal eligibility criteria. Pupils attending a private nursery or pre-school are not entitled to free school meals. The government also provides help with up to 70% of childcare costs for people on low incomes through working tax credits, which in April 2016 increased to 85% through Universal Credit.

Ministry of Justice

Funerals: Fees and Charges

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what procedures are in place to (a) monitor and (b) prevent local authorities charging burial and cremation fees that above inflation rates.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice does not have procedures in place for these purposes.

Prisons

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what comparative assessment he has made of (a) employment terms and conditions, (b) levels of violence, (c) overcrowding and (d) staffing levels at private and public prisons.

Edward Argar: There is no single comparative assessment of public versus private prisons. However, all public sector and privately managed prisons are subject to the same performance framework, which assesses data against a range of measures. These are augmented by inspection scores, business intelligence and management information, including from management visits and assurance activities. Following an end of year moderation process, each establishment is assigned a place on a four-point rating scale, which runs from serious concern (1) to exceptional (4). The ratings for 2017/18 are published on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-ratings-2017-to-2018. Ratings for 2018/19 will be published in July this year. All prisons are also independently scrutinised by Independent Monitoring Boards, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. The operational capacity of all prisons in England and Wales is provided monthly as part of the regularly published prison population statistics. This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-population-statistics. The rate of crowding is published in the Annual HMPPS Digest at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018. The average percentage of prisoners in crowded accommodation was 24.2% in 2017/18, a reduction of 0.3% from 2016/17. The level of violence across both public sector and privately managed prisons is also closely monitored, and statistics are published routinely on gov.uk. The latest safety in custody statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018. Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We have recruited over 4,700 new prison officers across the country since October 2016 to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose – protecting the public, reducing reoffending and, crucially, rehabilitating offenders. A breakdown of staffing at various grades by public sector prison establishment is provided as part of the HMPPS workforce statistics, which are published quarterly at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics The Ministry of Justice does not hold staffing numbers for privately managed prisons and, as such, their workforce statistics are not published. It is the responsibility of the contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract and ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to undertake their duties. Privately managed prisons have different grading systems from public sector establishments. Terms and conditions for staff, however, remain comparative.

Judicial Review

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average timescale is for the conclusion of a judicial review.

Lucy Frazer: From January to December 2018 the average clearance time for a Judicial Review in the Administrative Court, from lodgement to a final hearing decision was 167 days. The published data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-justice-statistics-october-to-december-2018

Prisoners: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2019 to Question 225506 on Prisons: Education, how many offenders were engaged in learning and skills in prisons in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The Department for Education publishes data on prison education participation and completion rates. Details for the academic years 2010-11 to 2017-18 can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/761349/201718_Nov_MAIN_OLASS_Particpation_FINALv1.xlsx

Prison Officers: Resignations

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many band three to five prison officers who left the prison service in each year from 2010 to 2018 had been assaulted (a) zero to four weeks, (b) four to eight weeks and (c) eight to 12 weeks before their departure.

Edward Argar: The Government publishes quarterly statistics on violence in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, and both are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018I regret that the specific figures that you seek could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as staff who were the victims of assaults and subsequently departed from HMPPS could only be identified by reading every individual incident report (of which there are nearly 50,000 in the period in which you are interested) and matching the names of those involved with HR records. The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons. We have recruited over 4,700 more prison officers since October 2016, and we now have the greatest number in post since early 2012. The Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan case management process for prisoners at risk of violence has been mandated for all prisons to help staff to manage violent prisoners and those identified as posing a raised risk of being violent. We are investing an extra £70 million to improve safety, security and decency, and equipping officers with PAVA incapacitant spray and body-worn cameras to help prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners when dealing with violent incidents. We are improving perimeter security and introducing new x-ray scanners, drug-detection dogs and dedicated search teams to address the supply of drugs that we know are fuelling much of the violence in custody.

Ministry of Justice: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Edward Argar: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.£286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18). (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf)Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)Over £2bn of additional funding for 19/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/)This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU. Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit work. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.

Knives: Sentencing

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made recent representations to the Sentencing Council to ensure that (a) repeat weapons offenders who are found guilty of murder or manslaughter serve their full sentence and (b) sentencing guidelines in respect of knife crimes are kept under regular review; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The Sentencing Council is an independent body, and not responsible for the release of offenders from prison. As such, no representations have been made to the Council regarding the release of offenders serving sentences for murder and manslaughter. The Bladed Articles and Offensive Weapons sentencing guideline came into force on 1 June 2018 and the Council will review these guidelines, in accordance with its statutory duty to do so.

Prison Officers: Resignations

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the rate of attrition of prison officers.

Edward Argar: We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.HMPPS heavily invests in a comprehensive range of Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) interventions which help staff feel valued and supported. The current EAP has been significantly enhanced and now includes access to specialist Trauma Support and a dedicated manager’s helpline.

Prisons: Digital Technology

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost has been to date of creating facilities for cases to be heard digitally at (a) Pentonville prison, (b) Wormwood Scrubs prison and (c) HM Prison Manchester.

Edward Argar: Each of the prisons mentioned has a number of Prison Court Video link end points which enable prisoners to take part in court hearings digitally. The cost of installing these end points to the respective prisons was approximately (a) £165,000, (b) £135,000 and (c) £135,000.

Reoffenders

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of reoffending.

Edward Argar: A reduction in reoffending rates can only be achieved by a concerted effort across government on the drivers of reoffending such as homelessness, unemployment, addiction, health, care and social exclusion. This is why the MoJ is working with other departments to tackle the main causes of reoffending. We are committed to tackling reoffending by investing in community provision, strengthening alternatives to short custodial sentences and boosting rehabilitation, so that it keeps the public safe and ultimately reforms and rehabilitates offenders.The current estimate of the economic and social cost of reoffending is approximately £15bn per annum, including the cost to victims, and the cost to the Government of detecting, prosecuting, and punishing the crime. This was based on a report published by the National Audit Office (NAO), which estimated in 2007/08 that reoffending by recent ex-prisoners cost between £9.5billion and £13billion; this report can be found here:  https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/0910431.pdfThis estimate was calculated by taking the figure of £13bn and increasing it by inflation, to bring it into present-day costs at the time of calculation (2016/17). This was done by applying GDP deflators in line with standard Green Book guidance.

Prison Governors

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons have had (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five and (f) more than five governors or acting governors in post since 2010.

Edward Argar: The table below provides the information requested in relation to substantive Governing governors. Deputy governors providing temporary cover are not included. Figures for acting governors could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. Number of prisons by number of governors in post, over the period January 2010 to December 2018Number of Governing Governors1 in post since 2010Number of prisons2One9Two24Three43Four35Five14More than five3 Notes1. Prison governors are H M Prison & Probation Service employees, at band 10 and 11.2. The data include all prisons operational within HMPPS since 2010. This includes prisons that have since closed and those that have transferred to or from the private sector within this period.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Sexual Offences

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases involving sexual assault were granted compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each year since 2010-11.

Edward Argar: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Next of Kin

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many qualifying relatives have been awarded compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each year since 2010-11.

Edward Argar: A relative of a person who has died as a direct result of sustaining a criminal injury may be eligible for a payment under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme if they are defined as a ‘qualifying relative’. The following types of payment may only be made to ‘qualifying relatives’: (a) a bereavement payment; (b) a child’s payment; or (c) a dependency payment. A number of ‘qualifying relatives’ may also receive other payments under the Scheme which are not directly connected to their status as ‘qualifying relatives’. The table below shows the number of resolved cases per financial year in which one or more payments were made to qualifying relatives. Some qualifying relatives may have received more than one payment.  Financial YearBereavement AwardChild PaymentDependency Payment2010/11910213342011/12872203152012/13873203252013/14886242492014/15824185682015/16651151462016/1781817792017/18112927987

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) child, (b) dependency, (c) funeral and (d) bereavement compensation payments were made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each year since 2010-11.

Edward Argar: The table below shows the number of resolved cases per financial year in which one or more of the following payments were made. There may be overlap in the numbers for each type of payment because some applicants may have received more than one payment. Financial YearChild PaymentDependency PaymentFuneral ExpensesBereavement Award2010/11213343549102011/12203153358722012/13203253388732013/14242493418862014/15185683078242015/16151462596512016/1717793418182017/18279874541129

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of payments provided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme were (a) child, (b) dependency, (c) funeral and (d) bereavement compensation payments in each year since 2010-11.

Edward Argar: The table below shows the proportion of cases in which a relevant payment was made in each financial year. This is expressed as a percentage of the volume of resolved cases in which an award was made. More than one type of payment may have been made to each eligible applicant. Financial YearBereavement AwardChild PaymentDependency PaymentFuneral Payment2010/112.8%0.6%0.1%1.1%2011/123.0%0.7%0.1%1.1%2012/134.6%1.1%0.1%1.8%2013/145.7%1.5%0.3%2.2%2014/156.2%1.4%0.5%2.3%2015/164.7%1.1%0.3%1.9%2016/174.9%1.1%0.1%2.0%2017/187.5%1.8%0.6%3.0%

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of claims under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme were rejected as a result of the injury not qualifying for compensation in each year since 2010-11.

Edward Argar: This information is shown in the table below. The first column shows the number of resolved cases in which an award was refused because the injury did not qualify for an award. As more than one reason for refusal may be provided in any case, the figures below may include cases which were also refused on other grounds. The second column expresses this number as a proportion of all cases resolved per year. Financial Year1. Number2. Proportion2010/11886214%2011/12783914%2012/13740614%2013/14844420%2014/15758421%2015/16545119%2016/17428213%2017/18663016%

Taxis: Assistance Animals

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted under section (a) 168 and (b) 170 of the Equality Act 2010 for refusing to take an assistance dog in a taxi or private hire vehicle in (i) 2017 and (ii) 2018.

Edward Argar: 15 offenders were found guilty at all courts of refusing to take an assistance dog in a taxi in England and Wales in 2017. 22 offenders were found guilty at all courts of refusing to take an assistance dog in a private hire vehicle in England and Wales in 2017 Court proceedings data for 2018 are planned for publication on 16 May 2019. These figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.Every effort is made to ensure that these figures are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Enforcement

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2018 to Question 198912 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Enforcement, what the cost to the public purse has been of the Approved Enforcement Agency procurement exercise.

Lucy Frazer: The total cost for the Approved Enforcement Agencies AEA procurement exercise from 1st April 2017 up to the end of April 2019 is £593,142In July 2018 HMCTS announced its intention to award new contracts for Approved Enforcement Agency contracts. These contracts will save the tax payer £46 million over five years.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

George Hollingbery: The Department for International Trade (DIT) was created in July 2016 following the result of the EU referendum and was specifically established as part of the government’s EU exit strategy.DIT integrates scenario planning for EU exit into its overall programmes of work. ‘No deal’ planning is not undertaken by a distinct team and it is therefore not possible to separately identify the spend associated with the UK leaving the EU without a deal.HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the devolved administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This includes the £1.5 billion of additional funding HM Treasury announced in the Autumn Budget for 2018/19. A full breakdown of how this has been allocated to departments can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018 (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/).

Overseas Trade: East Asia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent progress he has made on increasing the level of trade with east Asian countries.

George Hollingbery: Trade with East Asia is increasing. Leaving the EU is an opportunity to strengthen relationships further including securing continuity of South Korea's EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and engaging with Japan on a future trade agreement that will be as ambitious, high standard and mutually beneficial as the Japan-EU EPA, on which it will be based.The Government works actively to support UK exporters and East Asian companies investing in the UK through our overseas network led by HM Trade Commissioners for Asia Pacific and China, bilateral working groups and ministerial engagement; DIT Ministers undertook ten visits to the region last year.

Overseas Trade: Caribbean and Latin America

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to build on existing trade relationships with Latin America and the Caribbean.

George Hollingbery: The Department for International Trade works extensively throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LatAC) to strengthen the UK’s trade and investment relationships. Last year Joanna Crellin was appointed as LatAC Trade Commissioner, and in March hosted a LatAC Roadshow in several UK regions to promote trade opportunities to UK companies. The Prime Minister has also appointed four Trade Envoys to promote bilateral trade and investment in LatAC.The UK has concluded trade continuity agreements with Chile and 11 Caribbean countries, which will allow us to continue trading on preferential terms when we leave the EU, and we are in advanced stages of negotiation with the Andean Community and Central America Association. We also utilise other bilateral trade policy tools such as the Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee.

Overseas Trade: Sustainable Development

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government has put in place to ensure trade policy is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

George Hollingbery: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

European Parliament: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, for what reasons the deadline for EU citizens to change their status to vote in European elections in the UK was set to 12 working days before polling day rather than six in guidance issued by the Commission.

Bridget Phillipson: The deadline for EU citizens returning a declaration indicating that they wish to vote in a European Parliamentary election in the UK is 12 working days before polling day, not 6 working days. This is set out in: the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as amended); the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (as amended); and the European Parliamentary Elections (Franchise of Relevant Citizens of the Union) Regulations 2001.As was the case in 2014, the Commission has issued guidance to Electoral Registration Officers reflecting this legislation.

Electoral Register

Catherine West: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission reviewed the efficacy of the voter registration process for those ineligible to vote in General Elections but eligible to vote in European and local elections after the 2014 European elections.

Bridget Phillipson: Following the 2014 European Parliamentary election, the Electoral Commission identified, in its statutory election report, that the system set out in law for citizens of other EU member states to register to vote in future European elections in the UK could be simplified. It specifically highlighted that legislation could be changed so that EU citizens would not need to complete more than one electoral registration form. Commission staff subsequently met Cabinet Office officials, together with representatives from EU citizens’ organisations, to consider the practical implications of this and other options for amending the law. Following the EU Referendum, the UK Government was clear that the European Parliamentary elections in 2019 would not take place. The Commission did not, therefore, continue to develop its recommendations.

Ministry of Defence

D-Day Landings: Anniversaries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to mark the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

Mark Lancaster: To mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will support commemorative events in the United Kingdom and France. The MOD is working closely with a range of stakeholders including the Normandy Memorial Trust, The Royal British Legion, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Portsmouth City Council and the French authorities in order to ensure that all commemorative events are a success. Our Armed Forces are proud to support these important commemorations as the nation pays tribute to the D-Day veterans who took part in the Normandy Landings 75 years ago. Over 4,000 Armed Forces personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force will be mobilised to offer ceremonial and logistical support to events on both sides of the English Channel. At least 11 Royal Navy vessels and multiple aircraft from the Red Arrows to the iconic Spitfire will be involved in events. On 5 June, the UK will host a national commemorative event on Southsea Common, Portsmouth attended by D-Day veterans, representatives of the nations involved in D-Day and current serving personnel. An RAF flypast of 26 aircraft including the Red Arrows and a Spitfire will then take to the skies. In the evening, a flotilla of Royal Navy ships will salute up to 300 Normandy veterans on board The Royal British Legion’s specially chartered ship as they depart for Normandy, escorted by HMS St Albans, a Type-23 Royal Navy frigate. In France, members of the Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade will drop over Normandy from RAF aircraft to recreate the famous airborne landings. In the evening, the Army will support events taking place at Pegasus Bridge. On 6 June in Normandy, the Army will be at Arromanches to mark the moment the first British soldier landed on Normandy’s beaches. Military musicians and personnel will support the inauguration of The Normandy Memorial Trust’s statue at Ver-Sur-Mer, in the presence of senior leaders. In Bayeux, The Royal British Legion will hold events commencing with a service at Bayeux Cathedral and a cemetery service at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Bayeux where they will be supported with a tri-service Guard of Honour and military musicians. In the afternoon, British veterans, escorted by Army personnel will move to Arromanches for informal events including a flypast by the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Any veterans who would like to attend events in the UK or Normandy are encouraged to contact The Royal British Legion at the following website: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/community/d-day-75/. Information on how the public can attend events in Portsmouth is available at the following website: https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/D-Day-events. ​

Armed Forces: Ethnic Groups

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of discrimination on trends in the level of people from ethnic minorities in the armed forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to preventing all forms of discrimination and is very clear that unacceptable behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated and action will be taken against anyone found to be engaging in such behaviour. All personnel have the right to work in an environment which is free from discrimination and unacceptable behaviour of any form. Personnel should be confident that any allegations will be taken very seriously, and action will be taken to deal with it. The Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, published in October 2018, is based on achieving a vision that reflects our recognition that the recruitment, and retention of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to Defence and wider society. The Strategy is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2018-to-2030-a-force-for-inclusionThe MOD has no single formal mechanism to measure the effect of discrimination, however the Armed Forces have developed multiple methods of understanding the lived experience of our people, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) personnel, through a climate assessment regime. This approach includes BAME focus groups and regular engagement with our BAME employee networks. This provides the MOD with a vital feedback loop which informs behaviours and discipline training and policy.Representation of people from BAME backgrounds in the Armed Forces continues to rise. The MOD publishes Biannual Diversity Statistics (available at the link below) which present information relating to the gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion and age of Service personnel.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2018

Cyprus: Military Alliances

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Memorandum of Understanding with Cyprus on UK defence and security.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence and Security Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding will place our defence relationship with Cyprus on a more enduring basis and enable closer co-operation across a range of areas of mutual benefit, building on the Bilateral Defence Co-operation Programme. Planned activities include cyber defence and security, crisis management, exercising and training and maritime security. Other areas of cooperation will include joint planning, Search and Rescue and officer education.

India: Military Alliances

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and India, what further steps he is taking to  strengthen bilateral security and defence cooperation.

Stuart Andrew: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 April 2019 to Question 245690 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).



India:Military Alliances
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Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mark Lancaster: Her Majesty's Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to Departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412 million of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286 million of additional funding for 2017-18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017-18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf Over £1.5 billion of additional funding for 2018-19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, released on 13 March 2018.https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/ Over £2 billion of additional funding for 2019-20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, released on 18 December 2018.https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/ This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK's departure from the EU. Work on No Deal Exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU Exit work. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support these preparations are kept under constant review.

EU Defence Policy

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is currently or has been part of a trial for the EU’s Coordinated Annual Review on Defence.

Mark Lancaster: The UK participated in the trial run of the EU's Coordinated Annual Review on Defence in 2017-18. The trial run culminated in a report that was presented to Ministers in November 2018.

EU Defence Policy

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Government plans to ensure that the UK does not become part of the EU’s military unification project in the event that the UK remains in the European Defence Agency, the European Defence Fund, the European Defence Industrial Development Programme and the Permanent Structured Co-operation programme.

Mark Lancaster: NATO will remain the cornerstone of our defence and security, and the UK will retain full sovereign control over its defence policy and decision making. A deal with the EU will, however, enable us to cooperate on foreign and security policy issues of shared interest. Accordingly, the Political Declaration agreed in November 2018 states that the UK's future relationship with the EU should benefit from cooperation on capabilities that facilitate interoperability and to promote joint effectiveness of Armed Forces. It thereby provides the option for the UK to participate in mutually beneficial capability projects and initiatives on a case-by-case basis, through the European Defence Agency, the European Defence Fund and PESCO, subject to conditions in Union law.

Saudi Arabia: Joint Exercises

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what joint military exercises the UK armed forces plan to undertake with Saudi Arabia.

Mark Lancaster: As at 1 May 2019, there are no UK/Saudi Arabia military exercises planned.

Brunei: Joint Exercises

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what joint military exercises the UK armed forces plan to undertake with Brunei.

Mark Lancaster: Elements of the UK Armed Forces are conducting Exercise Grypus Trail 19/1 in Brunei from 22 April to 26 May 2019. This is a UK national field training exercise supported by elements of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.The UK Armed Forces based in Brunei (British Forces Brunei) plan to participate in Exercise Hikmat Bersatu VI. This is a Brunei national exercise in two phases. Phase 1 is a command post exercise from 5 to 9 August and Phase 2 is a field training exercise from 23 September to 3 October 2019.

Saudi Arabia: European Fighter Aircraft

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he signed the memorandum of intent with Saudi Arabia for 48 Typhoon aircraft in March 2018; and what the name was of the Saudi counter-party to that memorandum.

Stuart Andrew: On 9 March 2018, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Defence (Gavin Williamson) and the Crown Prince and Saudi Arabian Minister of Defence, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, signed the memorandum of intent for the supply 48 Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Complaints

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been submitted by Ministers in the Department on behalf of their constituents for each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The information is not available.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with officials in Northern Ireland on ensuring that older people in difficult financial circumstances are able to access the benefits to which they are entitled.

Guy Opperman: There are regular discussions between officials in the Department for Work and Pensions and their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Department for Communities. The responsibility for ensuring that older people in Northern Ireland access the benefits to which they are entitled is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department for Communities, so DWP officials have not had specific discussions on this particular subject.

Children: Maintenance

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases have been raised with her Department since the commemoration of the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2018 where a paying parent that is habitually resident in the UK, but has earnings and tax liabilities abroad, has effectively reduced their maintenance to zero; and if she will make a statement.

Will Quince: The Department does not hold this data.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether rights under the UN Convention on Rights of Disabled People will continue to have primacy in UK law after the UK leaves the EU.

Justin Tomlinson: The UK’s decision to leave the European Union does not change its commitment to ensuring the rights and liberties of disabled people are protected domestically and to fulfilling its international obligations. The UK Government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009 and remains committed to the Convention and to the progressive realisation of the rights for disabled people that it sets out.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a comprehensive consultation process (a) has or (b) will take place with disabled people and their representative groups, as required under Article 4.3 the UN Convention on Rights of Disabled People (UNCRDP), before any change in the status of the UNCRPD in UK law.

Justin Tomlinson: The UK Government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009 and remains committed to the Convention and to the progressive realisation of the rights for disabled people that it sets out. The UK will remain a signatory to the UNCRPD. The UK is committed to engaging with disabled people and their organisations. We have clear consultation guidelines that set out how Government should consider, in full, the impact of all proposals and ensure access to consultations.

Pensioners: Disability Living Allowance

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of pensionable age have had disability living allowance removed since 2010.

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of pensionable age have been successful in applying for personal independence payment since 2010.

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people who have had disability living allowance removed and are of pensionable age have been successful in applying for personal independence payment since 2010.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Under the provisions of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Transitional Regulations 2013, all claimants of disability living allowance (DLA) who were under the age of 65 on 8th April 2013 will be invited to claim PIP regardless of their age at the time they’re invited or the status of their DLA claim. For your information the latest available data on PIP clearances split by age in whole years and by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and if will he make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. The Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) 2014 review found that local authorities delivered support more effectively than the previous provision and that councils are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no further plans to review provision.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on Local Welfare Assistance Schemes in each of the last nine years.

Alok Sharma: Local authorities report how much they have spent on local welfare assistance schemes in their annual Revenue Outturn returns to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This can be found in line 465 in the individual local authority data outturn table ‘RO6’ for each year up to the latest for 2017-18 at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of unprocessed change in circumstance notifications which led to the over-payment of carer's allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: There is no estimate. When we receive a notification of change, consideration is given as to whether the change will affect the benefit. Where it does, action is taken to prevent an overpayment, or to stop an overpayment. Once the customer has notified us of a change in their circumstances, any delay in actioning that notification would be official error and would not be recoverable from the customer.

Carer's Allowance: Overpayments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what safeguards are in place to ensure reasonable rates of repayment from recipients of carers' allowance who have been overpaid through no fault of their own.

Justin Tomlinson: Claimants are required to tell us about any changes in their circumstances. Once a claimant has advised us of a change, any subsequent overpayment is called official error. The Department does not seek the recovery of Carer’s Allowance official error overpayments as this is not permitted under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 Section 71 (1). Where a claimant has failed to report a change, or has provided inaccurate information, overpayments are recoverable. When recovering overpayments, the Department ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the welfare of claimants, including renegotiating repayment rates where this is needed.

Children: Maintenance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what grounds can child maintenance be written off by the Child Support Agency.

Will Quince: The grounds on which child maintenance arrears may be written off are available in The Child Support (Management of Payments and Arrears) Regulations 2009. Circumstances include where the receiving parent (or child in Scotland) has died, or requests that the arrears are written off; where the paying parent has died and there is no further action that can be taken to recover the arrears; and where the arrears fall under the circumstances detailed in the child maintenance Compliance and Arrears Strategy. A comprehensive list of the grounds for write off is available in the link below:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3151/part/PART4B The response to the Compliance and Arrears Strategy consultation is available in the link below: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/724358/response-child-maintenance-compliance-and-arrears-strategy-consultation.pdf

Children: Maintenance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people had child maintenance payments written off by the Child Support Agency in 2018.

Will Quince: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics, however we expect these statistics to be published in June 2019. Information on the planned changes to the Child Support Agency Quarterly Statistical Summary to incorporate this information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-statistics-publication-strategy

Universal Credit

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she publish guidance on what triggers a natural migration to universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Currently people only move to Universal Credit (UC) because they have had a significant change in their circumstances which would previously have led them to make a new claim to a legacy benefit. It has always been the case that in such circumstances, new claims would be assessed based upon their new circumstances and under the rules of the new benefit. Claimant circumstances within the legacy system are diverse and interact with a range of benefits in different ways. Eligibility for UC is dependent on individuals’ circumstances, the specific nature of the change and rules for access to legacy benefits. During oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee (WPSC) on Wednesday, 1 May 2019, the Minister of State for Employment confirmed that the Department will write to the Committee to provide, a list of examples which may prompt a move to UC after circumstances have changed.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department took in response to the increased number of complaints to the Independent Case Examiner from women affected by the state pension age increase between October 2016 and November 2018.

Guy Opperman: The Independent Case Examiner is by its nature and name, independent. It reviews complaints about the DWP and its contracted service providers, in those cases where the complainant has exhausted the relevant internal complaints process and remains dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint. The service provided by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office is demand led, and its resources are reviewed on an annual basis. The Independent Case Examiner’s Office received funding for thirteen additional staff in 2018/2019 financial year, during which productivity increased with the Independent Case Examiner’s Office clearing 1,246 complaints, compared to 955 in the previous reporting year. The Independent Case Examiner’s Office accepted the first complaint concerning communications associated with changes to women’s State Pension age in October 2016. Due to the volume of complaint referrals received from this group of complainants, the Independent Case Examiner Office took the decision to bring a lead case into investigation in January 2017, in order to familiarise itself with the issues underpinning the orchestrated complaints campaign. This investigation concluded in June 2017 – The Independent Case Examiner did not uphold the complaint. To deal specifically with this group of complaints, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office set up a team of three Investigation Case Managers in October 2017. This team concluded 192 investigations between October 2017 and November 2018, none of which were upheld on the main element of complaint. The Independent Case Examiner’s Office closed this group of complaints in December 2018, when they became subject to legal proceedings, as is required under its governance contract.

Food Poverty: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Food Foundation's Children’s Future Food Inquiry report published on 24 April 2019, what steps the Government is taking to support children who live in food insecure households.

Will Quince: This Government is committed to helping families into work, as the best route out of poverty. We are also supporting over 1 million children with free school meals, investing up to £26 million in school breakfast clubs, providing approximately 2.3 million children aged 4-6 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school, and, through the Healthy Start Programme, hundreds of thousands of low income families benefit from vouchers which can be redeemed against fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula. In 2019/20, the government will be spending more than £95 billion a year on working-age benefits. The new set of food insecurity questions introduced into the existing Family Resources Survey from April will build a better understanding of household food needs, to help ensure we’re targeting support to those most in need.

Pension Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2019 to Question 243355 on Pension Credit, how many times was the online pension credit toolkit accessed in each year for which data is available.

Guy Opperman: The Pension Credit toolkit is an on-line tool aimed at agencies and welfare rights organisations to help them encourage Pension Credit take-up. It can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability and carers benefits. The Information available on the number of times the Pension Credit toolkit was accessed is in the table below. This includes data on the number of viewings of the Pension Credit overview page on www.gov.uk which is considered the most likely initial starting point for the public obtaining on line information about Pension Credit.   Page viewsPage2019 to 25 April20182017201620152014Pension Credit toolkit: landing page1,4662,0783,3994,1334,52712,909Pension Credit toolkit: advice and guidance for stakeholders5,7919,88418,33621,36327,64410,755Pension Credit guidance for customers overview page406,0241,134,8521,307,5621,412,3751,318,7701,306,531 Notes:1. Data is for calendar years2. Data refers to the following webpages toolkit landing pagehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkitadvice and guidance for stakeholdershttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit/pension-credit-toolkit-advice-and-guidance-for-stakeholdersfirst page of the main Pension Credit guide for claimants https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit3. Data shows the number of times these webpages were accessed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Porpoises: Conservation

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to protect harbour porpoises from being trapped in gillnets.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is working closely with stakeholders including the UK fishing industry to find ways to tackle this problem together. In March, we held a UK bycatch workshop to look at ways to effectively mitigate this problem, and over the coming months we will be working hard to develop and test practical solutions to this critical issue. The report from the workshop will be published at the end of May. It will include a set of recommendations for tackling this problem and an outline of how Defra, working with stakeholders, intends to take these forward.

Livestock: Animal Feed

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce a legal definition of the term grass-fed in relation to livestock raised on pasture all of their lives.

David Rutley: The Food Information Regulations already protect consumers by stating that food information must not be misleading, in particular, as to its method of manufacture or production. There is therefore no need for the Government to introduce further legislation to define production methods for meat or other farmed food. Producer-led accreditation schemes such as the highly respected Pasture For Life scheme provide an excellent way for farmers to market their outstanding British food.

Smallholdings

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to further protect county farm smallholdings from precipitant sale; and what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on this matter.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government values the role of county farm smallholdings, and particularly the opportunities they offer for new entrant farmers. We are considering how to help local authorities who want to retain and invest in their county farm smallholdings, so that they offer real opportunities for new farmers to start a foundation business and gain the experience they need to progress on to a larger unit. Officials have regular contact with local authorities and other organisations with an interest in county farm smallholdings.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has advertised the EU settlement scheme in languages other than English; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: It is vital that the over three million non-UK EU citizens and their family members living in the UK understand how and when to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme. At the end of March, the Home Office launched a new national marketing campaign to encourage EU citizens to apply.The Home Office has translated advertising and communications materials into 25 European languages and Welsh. This includes the applicant guidance, poster, factsheet and videos. These materials are all available by visiting gov.uk/eusettlementscheme.Translated communications and engagement materials will continue to be available throughout the lifetime of the scheme.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when local authorities will be able to access funding for services to support residents applying to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The EU Settlement Scheme has been designed to be straightforward, easy and accessible to make the application process as simple as possible. Even so, the Home Office will allocate grant funding of up to £9 million for voluntary and community sector organisation to support vulnerable EU citizens who might need additional help when applying for the Settlement Scheme.The Home Office has also implemented a range of free direct support to meet the varying needs of EU Citizens such as an increased Assisted Digital service across the UK to help those with limited digital confidence or access; a contact centre to provide information and assistance for EU Citizens and translated communications and publications.The Home Office has developed a community toolkit which includes communications materials and specific guidance on the EU Settlement Scheme for local authorities to download to help support individuals.Local authorities that are providing the ID document scanning service do so by making a charge for using the service, payable directly to the local authority. The viability and cost of offering the ID document scanning service in each location is a matter for each local authority.A New Burdens Assessment has been produced in collaboration with key stakeholders representing local authorities and children’s social services to ensure they are adequately funded to support looked after children and care leavers who are eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Educational Testing Service: Payments

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial settlement his Department reached with ETS after terminating in 2014 its licence to deliver the TOEIC test in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: I can confirm that a financial settlement was reached with ETS Global BV in early 2018. The terms of this settlement prevent release of further details at this time.

Visas: Religious Persons

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions his Department has had with faith leaders regarding the Tier 5 religious worker visa.

Caroline Nokes: The Government wrote to faith leaders in December, setting out the detail of the changes made to the Tier 5 religious worker visa.We are embarking on an extensive programme of engagement, in connection with the future immigration system, and will be talking to representatives from a range of faith and community groups. Officials also remain in regular contact with their representatives.

Visas: Married People

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people receive prompt repayment of the NHS Health surcharge for failed spousal visa applications.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office will usually refund immigration health surcharge payments in respect of refused immigration applications, including for spousal visas, within six weeks of the decision. Refunds may take longer where the customer details have changed between payment and refund or where the applicant appeals or seeks an administrative review of the decision.

Speed Limits: Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to enable local communities in cooperation with the police to use information accrued from ANPR to prosecute drivers who regularly break the speed limit.

Mr Nick Hurd: Speeding offences can only be enforced by speed cameras using laser or radar that have met the requirements of Home Office Type Approval. There are, therefore, no plans to develop ANPR cameras to detect speeding offences.

Biometrics: Regulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the use of facial recognition technology, including at airports.

Caroline Nokes: The government committed in the Home Office Biometrics Strategy 2018 to develop options to simplify and extend governance and oversight of biometrics across the Home Office sector. This includes law enforcement, border and immigration control use of biometrics.We are currently considering options for review. The review will also look at other measures that can be taken to improve governance and use of biometrics in advance of possible legislation.

Serious Violence Taskforce: Finance

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated to the Serious Violence Implementation Task Force programme in each region.

Victoria Atkins: The Serious Violence Strategy Implementation Taskforce has recently been established, following the Prime Minister’s Serious Youth Violence Summit in April, to oversee and drive implementation of the Serious Violence Strategy. It brings together Ministers, Members of Parliament, the Mayor of London, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Director General of the National Crime Agency, other senior police leaders, and chief executives from the public and voluntary sectors.The Taskforce will ensure that funding from across Government is invested across regions to tackle serious violence. Definitive funding allocations are not available due to the breadth of activity across Government. However, I can confirm that, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Spring Statement on 13 March, there will be £100 million further funding in 2019/20 to tackle serious violence. £51 million of this funding has already been allocated to 18 police forces worst affected by serious violence to pay for a surge in operational activity, including increased patrols.

Crime Prevention: Databases

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his 15 April 2019 speech on protecting young people's futures, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on future funding for the Crime Prevention Data Lab.

Victoria Atkins: We continue to develop a better understanding of the pathways into criminality to help us identify opportunities to intervene earlier to keep the public safe. To build on this work, we are developing proposals for a Crime Prevention Data Lab and if required we will explore opportunities through the upcoming Spending Round to support their delivery.

Religious Buildings: Security

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the recently announced funding for protecting places of worship has been allocated.

Victoria Atkins: On 19 March 2019, the Home Secretary announced a boost in funding for the hate crime Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme to £1.6 million for 2019/20. This is double the amount awarded in 2018/19. £5 million over three years has also been committed to providing security training to places of worship in England and Wales. This will enable staff and volunteers to develop the security understanding necessary to make physical security measures work effectively. This increase in funding marks a significant change in our funding for protective security for places of worship.The Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme has been running for three years, and we continuously listen to feedback. We are now working urgently to make commercial improvements to the 2019/20 scheme to make it more effective and easier for places of worship to apply. The application process for the scheme will go live in July 2019 with allocations being made thereafter.

Independent Office for Police Conduct: Complaints

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints against the actions of the Independent Office for Police Conduct have been made since its inception in January 2018.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints against the actions of the Independent Police Complaints Commission were made in each year between 2005 and 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints the Independent Police Complaints Commission (a) received, (b) opened investigations into and (c) concluded investigations and reported on in each year between 2005 and 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints the Independent Office for Police Conduct (a) received, (b) opened investigations into (c) concluded investigations and have yet to report and (d) concluded investigations and reported on since its establishment in January 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The information you requested is available on the IOPC’s website, published via their annual reports. The 2017/18 report can be accessed:https://policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/Who-we-are/accountability-performance/IOPC_annual_report_and_accounts_2017-18.pdf With previous reports available: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/who-we-are/accountability-and-performance/annual-report-and-plans

Police: Standards

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) (i) staff employed by, (ii) vacancies as of 31 December in and (iii) investigations conducted by each professional standards department in each police authority in England and Wales and (b) investigations into each such department in each such authority by an external oversight body in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of staff employed or vacancies within professional standards departments. We do collect and publish information on investigations conducted by these departments, found in the misconduct section of the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ sta-tistical bulletin:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2018The Home Office does not hold information on the number of investigations into professional standards departments by an external oversight body.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Kevin Foster: Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit and devolution work. EU exit work is funded from the Office’s £5.1 million budget for 2019-20.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Tree Preservation Orders

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of tree preservation orders; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Freehold

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government's proposals to reform the rules on charges levied on freehold home owners for maintenance of (a) related roads and (b) facilities will apply to existing arrangements for that maintenance.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government has committed to ensuring that freehold home owners who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness.We intend to create a new statutory regime, to cover both existing and future freeholders, based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether expanding polyurethane foam is defined as filler material under his Department's guidance (a) paragraph 12.7 of Fire safety: Approved Document B2, published in 2006, 2010, and 2013 and (b) paragraph 12.6 of Approved Document B2, published in 2018.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2019 to Question 244108 on Buildings: Insulation, whether his Department published documentation outlining the definition of the term filler prior to June 2017.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Construction

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to encourage more environmentally conscious house-building that takes into account established trees and local bird populations.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Smallholdings

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have sold off (a) all and (b) more than 50 per cent of  council smallholdings since 1997.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2019 to Question 213368, when the Government plans to publish its consultation on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229152 on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, if he will introduce the consultation on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund before the House rises for the summer recess.

Jake Berry: The Government has now reached agreement with the EU on an extension until 31 October at the latest, with the option to leave earlier as soon as a deal has been ratified. We believe that leaving with a deal is the best outcome and remain focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU, while also continuing to prepare for all scenarios. The Government will consult widely on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. However, it is right that we continue to review our approach accordingly.

Northern Ireland Office

Higher Education: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with officials in Northern Ireland on the criteria for admission into third-level education for students from a disadvantaged background.

John Penrose: Education is a devolved area in Northern Ireland and these matters are dealt with by the Higher Education Division at the Department for the Economy. Queries relating to participation in third-level education should be directed towards that department.

Treasury

Economic Growth

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to focus on expanding the economy through the (a) technology, (b) manufacturing or (c) exports sectors; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The Chancellor has been clear that raising productivity is the only way to expand the economy in the long term. Doing so will mean encouraging growth in the manufacturing sector, boosting the adoption of technology and enabling more British firms to export. That’s why we increased the National Productivity Investment Fund to £37bn at Budget 2018, and have announced a wide range of productivity enhancing measures at previous fiscal events. Most recently this has included £81 million for a new extreme photonics centre in Oxfordshire, £45 million for the European Bioinformatics Institute, and £79 million for a new supercomputer to be hosted at Edinburgh University.

Railways: Manufacturing Industries

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of (a) train manufacturing and (b) rolling stock contract awards on (i) job creation and (ii) levels of UK productivity.

Robert Jenrick: The Treasury welcomes the investment in the UK delivered through the awarding of rolling stock contracts to UK based train manufacturers. Rolling stock procurement is undertaken through fair and open competition, usually by train operators as part of their franchise commitments. As such the Treasury has not made any such assessments.

Treasury: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.£286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18). (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf)Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)Over £2bn of additional funding for 19/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/)This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU.Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit work. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.

Beverage Containers: Taxation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 226084 on Beverage Containers: Taxation, upon which particular submissions made to the Government's call for evidence were his Department's conclusions based.

Robert Jenrick: The government received 162,000 responses to its call for evidence on single-use plastic, including 222 from companies, trade bodies, environmental charities, and other organisations. It also engaged directly with over 100 organisations. Last summer, we published a summary of these responses and the Budget decision draws on that, considering the range of alternatives that are available. There is no practical way to apply the tax to just hot drink cups, meaning that a tax would have to be placed on all types of disposable plastic cup, including plastic and plastic-lined cups used for cold drinks. The government has concluded that there is not good evidence that a tax would lead to a significant increase in reuse for these at this time. Businesses are already taking steps to reduce the impact of disposable cups. The government expects industry to go further and will return to the issue if sufficient progress is not made.

Tax Avoidance

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax avoidance schemes have been closed by HMRC in the last 10 years.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax avoidance schemes have been closed by HMRC in the last 10 years.

Mel Stride: The government is committed to tackle avoidance, evasion and non-compliance at all levels and has introduced over 100 measures since 2010 which, alongside HMRC compliance work has protected over £200 billion in tax revenue which would have otherwise gone unpaid. Where tax avoidance is suspected HMRC investigates and challenges those arrangements, through litigation if necessary. HMRC wins around 90% of avoidance cases taken to litigation and has protected over £3 billion of tax in the last two years, with many more people settling their tax affairs before reaching this stage. Tax avoidance litigation decisions are published annually on GOV.UK. The marketplace for tax avoidance has shrunk considerably over recent years seeing the number of new schemes disclosed under the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (DOTAS) regime fall by over 95% since 2005/06. HMRC raises awareness of tax avoidance schemes though its series of spotlight publications which are available on GOV.UK.

Digital Technology: VAT

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) discussions he has had with and (b) guidance he has provided to (i) micro and (ii) other small businesses providing digital services in the EU27 on transferring from the VAT Mini One Stop Shop system to the third country VAT MOSS system in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: The UK VAT Mini One Stop Shop (MOSS) will no longer be available to UK businesses if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. UK businesses cannot be transferred to the EU’s ‘Non-Union’ scheme automatically but the Government has written to all current users of UK VAT MOSS advising them of their options if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. This information was also included as part of the EU Exit guidance to businesses published on gov.uk. If the UK leaves with a deal then we will enter an implementation period. During the implementation period, businesses can continue to use the UK VAT MOSS system as they do currently.

Tour Operators: VAT

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has consulted UK tour operators operating in the EU27 on the process for transferring to VAT payment in individual countries from the Tour Operators Margin Scheme in the event that the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: HMRC met with representatives of UK tour operators to discuss the proposed continuation of the Tour Operators Margin Scheme in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. The risk that UK tour operators may be required to register in EU member states was discussed. The future treatment of UK tour operators in the EU is a matter for member states. However, HMRC is not aware of any member state that currently requires non-EU based tour operators to register for VAT. HMRC is unable to advise on tax administration in other countries, including the EU. The EU Commission website contains contact details for member state tax administrations along with information about how VAT operates in each member state.

Manufacturing Industries

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2019 to Question 247049 on Manufacturing Industries, what proportion of the £4 billion allocated to preparations on the UK leaving the EU is being spent supporting manufacturers facing uncertainty.

Robert Jenrick: Since the referendum, the Treasury has in total allocated over £4.2bn across government to help departments and devolved administrations prepare for Brexit. It is for departments to decide on the most appropriate way of allocating this to areas in their remit. For details of the allocations to departments in 2019/20, please see the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th of December 2018.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Finance

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on grassroots funding for the arts of the widespread theft of the UK creative industries intellectual property rights by the pirate network beoutQ.

Margot James: We are committed to protecting the IP of our world leading Creative Industries, which is why are continuing to support The "Get It Right" campaign with £2M investment over 3 years. This campaign is part of The Government's Sector Deal which helps educate consumers on the dangers of copyright infringement and directs them towards legitimate sources of creative content online. The HM Ambassador in Riyadh has raised this matter on a number of occasions with Ministers in the Saudi Arabian Government.

Mayflower: Anniversaries

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with Buckingham Palace on promoting the Mayflower 400 celebrations in September 2020.

Michael Ellis: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has not had any direct discussions with Buckingham Palace regarding the Mayflower commemorations. The Mayflower 400 group are leading on the preparations and liaising with stakeholders.

Mayflower: Anniversaries

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an estimate of the number of US tourists who will visit the UK in 2020 as part of the Mayflower celebrations in September 2020.

Michael Ellis: DCMS has provided £750,000 of funding for the Mayflower celebrations through VisitEngland. This funding was used to:Commission the digital Mayflower Trail (an online facility to allow consumers to explore the story of the Mayflower and its' passengers),Provide press trips and events to engage buyers and consumers,Develop partnerships, such as with Disney Cruises,Generate digital content for the Mayflower 400 website, including social media,Develop digital marketing in the United States; andWork with various trade stakeholders to create themed, bookable tours and products.

Mayflower: Anniversaries

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to put in place a strategy to attract tourists to the UK during the Mayflower celebrations in 2020.

Michael Ellis: VisitBritain estimates that the UK will receive approximately 4m visitors from the United States in 2020 - we cannot identify if they will be here specifically for the Mayflower commemorations. Disney Cruises, with whom VisitBritain have a partnership, will also stop at Plymouth on the way from Southampton, Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts. This is estimated to draw an additional 13,500 visitors for the event.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made with the Rural Connected Communities Project; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using North East Bedfordshire as a pilot area for that initiative.

Margot James: The 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme is currently developing proposals for the Rural Connected Communities (RCC) project. This aims to build the business case for 5G, and rural mobile coverage by testing a range of technical solutions and commercial models, building and proving demand through new use cases. When the application process for the RCC project is open, as a mainly rural area, North East Bedfordshire may wish to submit a bid, subject to the competition’s final eligibility requirements.

Broadband: Standards

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to obligate internet broadband companies to be more transparent on achievable speeds.

Margot James: Both Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have taken action on broadband speeds recently. Ofcom’s published a new Broadband Speeds Code of Practice on 1 March 2019, under which companies have to provide consumers with a minimum guaranteed speed at the point of sale. If a consumer’s speed then drops below this level, companies have one month to improve performance, before they must allow consumers to leave their contract penalty-free. This right to exit also applies to landline and TV packages, which are purchased at the same time as broadband services Prior to this, in May 2018, the ASA implemented guidance that requires speed claims in adverts to be based on the download speeds available to at least 50% of customers at peak time and no longer on 'up to' speeds available to at least 10% of customers.

Telecoms Supply Chain Review

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on what date he plans to publish the response to the Telecoms Supply Chain Review.

Margot James: A statement will be made to the House to communicate the decision at the appropriate time.

Public Libraries: Essex

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received on Essex county council's proposed closure of its libraries.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions (a) he and (b) his departmental officials have had with Essex county council on its (i) proposed closure of libraries and (b) statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

Michael Ellis: DCMS has received a number of representations from local people and bodies about Essex County Council’s proposed Future Library Services Strategy for 2019 to 2024. The Council consulted on this from 29 November 2018 to 21 February 2019. DCMS officials are in regular contact with Essex County Council officers to discuss its libraries proposals and the importance of it meeting its statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. We understand that the Council is currently analysing the responses to the consultation and their aim is to finalise the strategy and present to their Cabinet in Summer 2019.

Sports Competitors: Racial Discrimination

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to assess the level of racism directed at sports players by spectators.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to prevent race-related crime at sports fixtures.

Mims Davies: There is absolutely no place for racism and race related crime in sport or anywhere in society. We have seen some worrying instances of discriminatory behaviour recently, most notably in football. Following the summit I chaired with football leaders on 25th February 2019, Government is working with key groups to deliver clear, tangible actions to tackle racism at all levels of football. The intention is to announce these interventions, in partnership with football, later in the year.It is vital that the atmosphere and environment in which sport and physical activity takes place in our communities - be it grassroots or at the elite level - is safe, supportive and free of discrimination. Sport clubs and fans must continue to embrace diversity and tackle racism whenever they encounter it.

Huawei: 5G

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK data security is protected in respect of the involvement of Huawei in the development of the UK's 5G network.

Margot James: The Government has a long established strategy for managing the presence of Huawei in the UK telecoms sector. The Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) was established in 2010 as part of a mitigation strategy. The need to ensure that the UK telecoms network is secure both now and for future mobile generations is the reason for the Telecoms Supply Chain Review. The terms of reference are available here. The Review includes consideration of the full UK market position, including the resilience and security standards of equipment for 5G. A statement will be made to the House to communicate the outcome of the Review at the appropriate time.

House of Commons Commission

Portcullis House: Cleaning Services

Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many times on average on a working day each bathroom or lavatory was cleaned in Portcullis House in (a) 2019 and (b) 2009.

Tom Brake: All bathrooms and lavatories in Portcullis House are cleaned overnight, Monday to Friday.In addition to the overnight clean each bathroom or lavatory has a minimum of two to a maximum of nine janitorial visits per day in high footfall areas such as the Atrium and 1st floors of Portcullis House, Monday to Friday.We do not have data available for 2009.

Attorney General

Terrorism: Prosecutions

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2019 to Question 910352 on Terrorism: Prosecutions, if he will (a) review the type of data that the CPS collates and (b) introduce a new category under terrorism-related offences for returning terrorist fighters.

Robert Buckland: The CPS has considered the types of data it collates and has determined that it would not be appropriate to create a new dataset which overlaps with the information already collected and published by the Home Office. CPS collects data for operational purposes; the Home Office however report the National Statistics which are the official figures reported to Parliament.Recent figures published by the Home Office report that last year, 84 people were tried following charges brought by the CPS for terrorism-related offences, resulting in 76 convictions. The remaining 8 were found not guilty.